


Luminance: Scattered

by raiyuki76



Series: Luminence: An Urban Fantasy Retelling of Critical Role, Campaign Two [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, Fantasy Racism, Found Family, Modern D&D, Modern Retelling, Pre-Stream (Critical Role), Spoilers, Trying to make it follow the canon, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-08-03 09:24:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16323569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raiyuki76/pseuds/raiyuki76
Summary: There are a handful of wandering destinies scattered around the world. Alone they are nothing but specks of light. Together, they are a blinding force cutting through the dark. Fate pulls at them, drawing them to each other, tying them up in the fate of an empire, and so much more.





	1. Chapter One (Fjord)

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins! Welcome to my weird Urban Fantasy retelling of the adventures of the Mighty Nein! I'm going to try to follow along with the canon, but things may be changed along the way. I'm starting with what pre-stream content I know, and there will be a separate fic for once we get into the streamed content. I will add tags and relationships as they come about, and my goal is to try posting a chapter every Tuesday for as long as I feasibly can! I've got a couple of backlogged chapters now so hopefully I can maintain that!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Fjord hiked the sheathed falchion up higher on his shoulder as he wandered through familiar yet dark alleyways. The sound of traffic faded as he moved through the dingy streets, and he couldn’t help but fold into himself, trying to make himself look smaller. 

He was far too tired right now to deal with any trouble. He ached all over, and he felt a stiffness in his body only matched by the sun dried clothes on his back. He could feel sand grating against his skin and his throat still stung from the salt water he had coughed up upon waking. And it’s been a long day, since that moment.

Worst part was, this is where his plan seemed to end. He had gotten a hold of some cash through a couple of hours of simple yet grueling work. Not enough for a hotel, but at least enough for some cheap clothes and some food hopefully. And if he was lucky, there was still a haven for the homeless near here.

Homeless. The thought struck him hard as he was reminded of the fresh loss. Everything permanent in his life, from his first friend to his beat up old cell phone had been on that ship. And where were they now? He shook his head, grief flaring into anger, and he found himself moving slightly faster as that cold spark of rage fueled him.

At least he knew who had done this to him. 

He moved quicker, but he found it didn’t help. He was getting nowhere fast and he couldn’t remember where that shelter was. He just wanted a roof over his head so he could finally rest. After that, all he’d need is a shower and to find a bit more work. Just enough to get some more cash. And then, then he could think about what had happened. 

“Oi, look what we have here,” a nasally voice said, ringing out from the darkness to the left and making the half-orc jump. A human walked out from the shadows of an alley, cigarette dangling from his smirking lips. He had the look of a thug with prey in sight, and Fjord immediately felt his hands twitching for the sword on his back. It didn’t matter if he had never used one before, it was something. Anything. 

“Oh yeah, we got us a tusker!” another voice sang, as four more thugs appeared from the alley. They were mostly human, though one seemed to have an elven look to him. The slur hit Fjord’s ears harshly, but he kept his face calm. He knew better then to encourage it.

Not that it mattered. It was apparent what they wanted to do. “Look here,” the half-orc began, shifting himself as they attempted to circle him, “I don’t want any trouble.” He wished that he sounded more confident, but his throat still stung and his voice had a weak, scratchy sound to it. He needed his back to a wall, but the closest one was behind them, and there were too many of them. They grinned at him like feral dogs surrounding a cat. 

“To bad tusker, maybe we do want it,” the half-elf said, his voice not nearly as graceful as his looks. Great. Now is as good a time as ever, he thought. Fjord rolled his eyes and drew the falchion from its sheath on his back. 

That movement settled it. There was no more pretense of calm as all bodies moved at once. The thugs were slow, but Fjord was tired and sore. It was a bad time for this. 

If he wasn’t alone… if his crew were here, he’d be ok. 

He slashed out at the first human who had shown himself, curved blade flashing in the dim street lights above. His opponent had drawn a knife out of his hoodie pocket and tried to return the attack, but the sword had longer reach and he was forced to stay back.

Fjord had to spin as another thug rushed him, narrowly avoiding getting tackled as a third one tried to punch him. He lashed out with his blade again, earning a cry of pain from the half-elf. He felt a light blow that glanced off his shoulder, one that had been aimed badly but had been lucky to still hit. 

Then, he felt a square punch straight to his jaw. The edges of his vision blurred as the pain shook him. It was just enough time for someone to grab his sword arm and yank it back sharply. His felt searing pain shoot through his bones. 

“We got him!” one of them yelled triumphantly as he felt the sword fall from his grip. “Come on, bring him here!” the first human said, a smirk audible in his voice. Oh fuck.

He swung his free arm back, cracking the back of his hand into someone’s face. Whoever he had hit groaned, but he couldn’t relish in it because someone punched him hard in the back of the head. He was surrounded. He couldn’t remember how many of them there were. He was fucked. 

They dragged him further into the alley that they had crawled out from. It was dimly lit and dirty as all hell, with garbage pushed up against the tall brick buildings on either side. They threw him down hard on the ground and he felt slimy gravel bite into his palms as he tried to catch himself. They were on him immediately, kicking and yelling racist profanity that he could barely hear through the pain. He agonizingly drew his arms up to protect his face, and dimly realized that the arm they had grabbed may hurt like all hell but at least it wasn’t broken. 

“Turn him around,” the leader demanded. There was temporary respite. Fjord felt the kicks stop before he fully registered what the human had said. Then he was roughly picked up and set on his knees, his arms forced painfully back by many calloused hands. 

The leader rifled through his pockets and stole what little money he had earned that day. Then he started to lay into him, punching the half-orc in the gut and the face repeatedly. Fjord could taste blood and he started to get dizzy, but he couldn’t pull away, not with so many people holding him down. He would just have to wait it out, like he had done so many times before. 

“Hey you losers! What do you think you’re doing?!” a voice suddenly called out, breaking through the haze and bringing a wave of stillness. Fjord felt relief wash over him as he strained to see who had interrupted his beating.

She was hard to see in the dim light, but the glint reflecting off the curved edge of his sword was clearly visible where she had it resting on her shoulder. It matched the gentle curve of horns that sat neatly atop her head, crowned with wavy blue hair. A tail swished behind her with agitation. It was a tiefling.

“Oi, listen here girly,” the leader said, turning to face her and shooing her away with bloody fists, “I’d leave right quick if you don’t wanna join him.” One of the men let go of Fjord and stepped towards the newcomer threateningly, but she didn’t seem phased. 

“Oh, but what if I do?” she asked, mischief filling her voice with confidence. The thugs hesitated. Her lack of fear was apparently off putting. 

“She asked for it,” the lead thug said, hiding concern behind a creepy grin as he turned fully from Fjord and started to approach her. Fjord could see a flash of sharp white teeth as the tiefling smiled.

There was a dim spark of light. The tiefling held out her hand, and a shimmering baseball bat appeared, lollipop stickers covering its surface. There was a pause as the thugs stuttered in surprise. Then, with staggering speed, she darted forward.

The fabric of her clothes flowed in a wave behind her as she stepped forward quickly, tossing Fjord’s sword in a sliding motion towards him. It slid past the leader, but before he could grab it, the baseball bat connected with his head with a sickening splat. The human went flying to the side, colliding with the brick wall of the building that made the alley way.

The blade slid closer and Fjord lunged, reaching out with his uninjured arm. The thug’s grip was loose from the surprise of what had just happened to their leader, and it gave the half-orc just enough time to spin and slash out with the blade, cutting into the meat of one man’s arm.

The tables turned so quickly Fjord almost felt bad for them. The tiefling girl swung her bat like an expert, dealing out both damage and chaos as the men tried to dance away from her swirling form. Fjord felt a renewed rush of energy as he drove the thugs back away from him, no longer surrounded and alone.

His enemies now lay in ruin in the streets, bloody and bruised. All but one. The half-elf almost slipped as he started to run away, but his feet caught traction and he started to cover some distance down the empty alleyway.

“Hey, shoot!” the girl said, disappointment in her voice as she realized what was happening.  
“No,” Fjord said as he raised his hand, reaching out as if he could just grab him and stop his escape.

It happened in a split second. There was a sudden feeling of pressure built up in his hand, and instinctively, as if he could always do it, he let it loose. A bolt of dark teal energy shot forward from his palm, pushing his arm back in a rebound. It lanced out across the distance, catching up with the half-elf and colliding with his back, sending him sprawling on the ground some fifty feet away. 

Fjord stared at the form, mind still fuzzily trying to understand what just happened. Did… did he do that?

“Oooh! That was really good! I didn’t realize you could do magic!” the girl said, her voice suddenly very sing songy and happy. “That was a really cool spell!” She continued to chatter, but Fjord couldn’t hear it as his world suddenly spun. 

The dizziness came back full force, this time accompanied with nausea. He slipped down onto his knees and tried to breath, swallowing down the urge to vomit up the little bit of water he’d had that day. 

He didn’t feel the gentle touch on his shoulder, but he did feel the sudden wave of warmth radiated from it, travelling down the length of his injured arm like a gentle stream of falling water. With it, his mind began to clear and the pulsing pain in his bones grew weaker. A ringing he hadn’t realized was pulsing in his ears faded and he could hear the girl talking again.

“... so it’s technically probably blood loss, which would have caused the shock, but you are _super _lucky because I am an awesome healer.”__

__He tried to speak and ended up coughing instead. She gave him a moment till he could manage the words._ _

__“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” he finally said, wiping blood from his mouth as he did so._ _

__“It’s no problem at all! I heard them yelling some pretty fucked up stuff and nobody likes racists dicks so I decided to come and fuck them up myself! Oh, I am Jester, by the way!” she said, a smile on her face as if she had just met him at the park. She held her hand out, and it took him a second to realize she was offering to help him up, not just shake his hand._ _

__“I uh, I’m Fjord,” he muttered, trying to garner the strength to stand on his own. Turns out she didn’t need the help. She wasn’t super tall or broad, but she pulled him up easily, almost as if he wasn’t a foot and a half taller than her. And when his legs threatened to drop him, she took his arm and draped it over her shoulder, supporting his weight fairly easily despite her size. It probably looked fairly awkward, with him being so much taller than her, but he wasn’t going to complain right now._ _

__“I have a hotel near here. If you want, we can go there and get you cleaned up!” she said, starting to lead him away. But it reminded him._ _

__“Oh shit, wait,” he said, turning and moving back towards the unconscious thugs. “They took all my money damnit.” It was awkward, trying to rifle through their pockets, but Jester helped him kneel beside them. Once there, it wasn’t too difficult to not fall down, so it was just a matter of taking his time to move carefully. Most of them only had a handful of silver notes, and that was good on it’s own. But the leader, he was a jackpot!_ _

__“Well look what we have here,” Fjord muttered as he recovered his own silver notes and found a wad of gold and two platinum notes. It was more cash then he had ever had at once, but he didn’t feel any qualms about taking it._ _

__Jester seemed uninterested in the cash, but Fjord held out half of it any way, offering it to his rescuer. It only seemed fair. She looked down at it in surprise, then smiled and shook her head._ _

__“It’s ok, you keep it! You probably need it more,” she said, and Fjord didn’t argue. Something about her told him that she probably came from money, and probably had enough of her own. He pocketed the cash then looked down at the bleeding men below them._ _

__“Hey, uh, should we call any guards? Or the Solezo?” he asked, motioning down to the thugs. He wasn’t too sure about anything medical, but they could die if left unattended. Several had deep sword wounds._ _

__“Huh?” Jester asked with disbelief. Fjord just quirked an eyebrow, not really certain how this woman felt about killing people. She giggled at the face he made though and then shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we can. Here,” she said as she started digging through her pockets for a phone._ _

__The blue light it emitted was a stark contrast to the dim yellow glow of the streetlights. She hit a couple of buttons and then held it up to her ear, patiently. As she stood there on the phone, Fjord finally got a chance to actually look at his rescuer._ _

__Her skin color was hard to determine in the dim light, but he finally figured that it was a pale blue. Her wavy hair was dark and her horns even darker, though silver jewelry glittered off of them in the light. She was wearing a blue pleated skirt with floral leggings under that, with tall brown boots that she started to tap as she waited. Her shirt was a simple tank top but she had a flowy cardigan over it with long open sleeves. The sleeves swished easily as she moved from side to side, her adrenaline clearly having not yet subsided. Then, she got an answer._ _

__“Hello, Mr. Guard. So there are a bunch of assholes over in an alley way off of South Marlow Street. They were being super rude and attacking someone so I helped beat them up, and they were also trying to steal from people and you should probably come pick them up and put them in jail but also maybe stop the bleeding but that’s up to you, they’re racist assholes anyway… okay… Okay no I really have to go and help this guy so no I’m not going to stay here okay thank you bye bye!” she said as she hung up._ _

__Fjord suppressed a chuckle as she helped him back up. This girl seemed pretty cool, despite her disregard for the law she just spoke to. It’s not like them staying here would do much for them anyway._ _

__“So, to my hotel?” she asked, beginning to walk regardless._ _

__“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” Fjord said, his focus mostly on walking without stumbling. With the healing she had given him earlier and the short break he had while looting the would be robbers, he felt he could move on his own so long as he focused. “And, if I could take a shower there, I’d really appreciate it,” he added as an afterthought._ _

__“Yeah, you do kind of need it. You smell like blood and salt,” she said, not in any way concerned if she insulted him. Honesty. That’s nice._ _

__“I’m sure I do. It’s been a pretty rough day.”_ _

__…………………………………………………………………………………._ _

__The hotel that she brought him to was fairly nice, though far out of his price range if he ended up needing to get his own room. It was the sort of hotel a company would room you with for free if they sent you out on business; nice but not overly extravagant. The room was a double queen with a fairly standard bathroom, but it felt like heaven to him in that moment._ _

__“Here we are!” she said as she dropped gracelessly on the bed. Fjord hesitated for a moment then, suddenly feeling awkward. She must have seen it on his face._ _

__“Oh yeah! Here you go! I probably won’t need it tonight anyway!” she said as she jumped up and tapped him gently on the arm. The same warmth he had felt earlier spread throughout his body again, and he felt much better at that._ _

__“Thank you, again, Jester,” he said, relief in his voice at the sudden comfort her healing brought to him. “If it’s alright with you, I’m gonna go ahead and take that shower now.”_ _

__“Sure sure. Oh hey, are you _hungry _?” she asked, drawing out the last word as she flipped through a book of local food stops.___ _

____“Oh. Starving, actually,” Fjord answered, looking over her shoulder at the options._ _ _ _

____“How about pizza?” she asked. “They deliver.”_ _ _ _

____“Sounds wonderful,” Fjord said, mouth already watering at the thought of food. He headed over to the shower and stopped and considered the unpleasant fact that he had no change of clothes. Oh well._ _ _ _

____The shower felt so much better than he had imagined. He couldn't hope to wash away the memories of the storm, but he could at least wash off the blood and salt. It flowed off of him in sheets and he felt lighter for it. He wasn’t sure how long he took, but by the time he left the bathroom, dirty clothes back on, the food had just arrived._ _ _ _

____Jester chatted conversationally while they ate, but Fjord simply listened and enjoyed the pizza. By the time he had finished several slices, he had already learned that Jester was from Nicodranas, that she couldn’t go back, and that she was searching for her father who could be anywhere, from out in the ocean to further inland to the empire._ _ _ _

____“That’s quite a quest,” Fjord said finally, mostly to show that he was in fact listening._ _ _ _

____“Oh my god it is a quest!” Jester said suddenly, eyes wide in sudden realization. “It’s like I’m a video game character! But if that’s the case, then what does that make you?” she asked, teasingly._ _ _ _

____Fjord smirked. “I guess just a random character you gotta save,” he answered before taking a drink from the tiny plastic cups that the hotel provided._ _ _ _

____“Hm… an NPC? That’s fair I suppose,” Jester said thoughtfully. He wasn’t sure what she meant by NPC, but it clearly meant something to the conversation. He knew about a number of video games, but not a lot about them, since he rarely had a chance to play any. Then she smiled. “Or maybe, you’re an adventurer too! What is your quest Fjord?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows at him. He just laughed awkwardly. Good fucking question._ _ _ _

____“You know I don’t know. I don’t really have much of a plan,” he said, honesty feeling somewhat foreign on his tongue. He hadn’t spoken much truth at all throughout the day, what with the truth of his story being incredibly strange. But Jester had been blatantly honest with him…_ _ _ _

____“But you’re clearly an adventurer,” she insisted, pulling him back to the conversation. “I mean, you have a sword and you have magic soo…”. Oh yeah… that was a thing._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, about that,” Fjord said, hesitating as he looked for the right words. Jester fell silent and waited patiently. “That was… well that was the first time that’s ever happened. The magic thing I mean.” Jester’s eyes went wide, and for a moment, Fjord was worried she would get mad, or scared of him. Then excitement took over her features._ _ _ _

____“Oh my god really! That’s super cool! You’re like a super late blooming sorcerer then? Or maybe something else? How did you get your magic? Was your mom or dad like, a demon or an angel or something? Did it feel weird? Did it --”._ _ _ _

____“Jeez Jester, give me a chance to answer one of them,” Fjord interrupted with a chuckle, suddenly feeling even more at ease with the tiefling. He pointedly ignored one or two of the questions, but began to speak, trying to remember her questions as he did so._ _ _ _

____“It did feel pretty weird, but it seemed right to me as it happened. I don’t think I’m a sorcerer, because don’t they normally get their powers as children?”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, yeah they do!” She answered. “And you aren’t a wizard, because that’s learned magic. You’ve got to like, study and stuff and then you would know about it already,” she added. It made sense. Fjord had never really paid much attention to magic or how any of it worked before. He had just been glad to get a job as a sailor._ _ _ _

____“So yeah, it’s not that. I was just a sailor before this,” he said._ _ _ _

____“Ooh, a sailor?! Were you on a sea ship or an airship or on both?!” the tiefling asked excitedly. Fjord was astounded by her lack of conversational direction but wasn’t against answering the tangent she found herself on._ _ _ _

____“Both. My ship was a transitional ship. I worked for a private shipping company led by, well, by a close friend.” There was a sudden rush of grief as he thought of his friend and mentor, but he purposefully shoved it to the back of his mind. He almost missed that Jester had continued talking._ _ _ _

____“So, like, you know, do you have a lot of friends, Fjord?” she asked, her voice suddenly hesitant._ _ _ _

____The half-orc really didn’t want to think about it. But she had asked him and there was clearly some concern. He looked at her face and saw her looking down and fiddling with a charm on her tail. She seemed both hopeful and worried at the same time. It felt lonely. He got a feeling that he knew why she was asking._ _ _ _

____“Not quite. Not anymore anyway,” he answered, ignoring the deep sorrow that wanted to resurface at the words. She looked up at him suddenly, with more hope in her eyes then._ _ _ _

____“Do you want to be my friend? We can totally smush our quests together and you can learn about magic and I can look for my dad and we can keep each other safe!” she said in a gush of excited words. Fjord couldn’t help but feel a small smile tug at his mouth._ _ _ _

____“You know what, yeah, why not?,” he said, eliciting an excited squee of joy. “I don’t have any direction, but you do. And maybe you can help me figure this magic out.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh yes of course!” she said, excitement beaming on her face. “I know a whole lot about magic from my friend The Traveler and he knows so much cool stuff and I bet he can totally help you out too and it’s all going to be super awesome and we’re going to have so much fun!”_ _ _ _

____Fjord was confused slightly, but he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt her excited banter. It seemed a little risky, choosing to join up with this girl he had only just met. But to be fair, she had already helped him out once, and it’s not like he had any other ideas._ _ _ _

____“Oh, and we could head over to the Empire, because they have lots of cool schools and academies for magic and stuff! I bet you could learn stuff there and become a super awesome powerful mage!” she continued, as she pulled out a leather bound journal. Fjord looked at it curiously but didn’t pry. It looked to be some sort of sketchbook._ _ _ _

____“That does sound like an option. And didn’t you say you were thinking of heading out there to search for your dad?” he asked as he settled down on the opposite bed. It was softer than he was used to, and wider too. The beds on ships weren’t the nicest, but they were what he had known for a good many years now. It took a bit to get used to it._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, I was definitely thinking about it! But we’re going to have to get some paperwork because, you know the Empire is pretty dumb about who you can worship and they don’t like The Traveler, which is super silly because he is really super awesome!” She said all this while she began to sketch happily in her book. She seemed so comfortable in his presence already, and it helped ease some of the tension he felt about sharing the room with this near stranger._ _ _ _

____“So The Traveler is a god?” he asked, suddenly remembering what Jester had said earlier._ _ _ _

____“Oh yes! He is super cool and is my best friend ever!” the tiefling said with a wide smile. Fjord had seen plenty of religious types, and Jester didn’t seem like most he had met before. But she clearly loved her god, so who was he to judge._ _ _ _

____“But if the Empire doesn’t like The Traveler, how exactly are we going to get this paperwork you’re talking about?” he asked._ _ _ _

____“Oh don’t worry,” she said, smiling slyly at him. “I have my ways! You’ll need some too, actually, since you’re a magic user now!” He found himself not overly worried about that. The paperwork would be the easy part, if Jester was to be believed. He was more concerned with where the magic even came from in the first place._ _ _ _

____They spent the rest of the night discussing magic and the next direction of travel. Jester laughed when he asked if he needed to get his own room, and also agreed to bring Fjord to a nearby general store the next day for new cloths and other supplies that he needed. She asked a couple of times what had happened to all of his old stuff, but she also asked so many questions in one breath, he got away with not giving her an answer to that one. It was strange. He trusted her enough to travel with her, but something told him that he shouldn’t tell her everything. Not yet. Perhaps he would once he understood it himself._ _ _ _

____It didn’t take long for the exhaustion to set in, what with being full and clean and in a safe bed. Fjord continued to conversation they were having though, wondering when Jester would tire herself, but she seemed to have boundless energy. After a bit more of waiting, he finally excused himself and mentioned sleep, which she reluctantly agreed to._ _ _ _

____With the lights now off, and conversation done, he drifted off quickly to sleep, his dreams filled with dark water and dim yellow light._ _ _ _


	2. Chapter Two (Caleb)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go. I didn't think I would enjoy writing Caleb as much as I did, but I really did enjoy his POV. There's also some hinting at his backstory, but they are minor hints that don't actually tell you anything.

Caleb groaned as he stretched out, his body sore from the cramped position in the back of the guard’s car. His hands were finally uncuffed and he rubbed them where the metal had pulled at his skin. 

They had taken his book and his components, but he still had his coat, which was a small nicety. The weight of it on his shoulders kept him calm and breathing, but what he really wanted was his cat. 

The fluorescent lights above glared at him, far too bright for this late hour. He glared back at them for a second before looking beyond the bars of his cell at the guards down the hall. They ignored him, and how late it was. He sighed and curled up on the floor in the corner, leaning against the two walls. He could have laid out on the bench that was built into the wall next to him, but it was thin, and he’d have to stretch out. Expose himself. He wasn’t okay with that. So the floor it was.

He stayed awake for another couple of minutes, watching and waiting. There was a camera, shifting back and forth from his cell to the empty cell next to it. He counted. There was a two minute gap, precisely. 

He turned and watched the guards again. They stared at their computers, occasionally laughing quietly. Probably watching youtube videos. At least they were distracted. Not that it mattered.

Caleb was too tired to bother trying to do anything tonight anyway. He lowered his head, and used his fingers to comb his long hair over his eyes. It helped some, with cutting out the light. He fell asleep with some difficulty, but it was a deep enough sleep, apparently.

Something slammed into him hard, and his own yelp of surprise was nearly drowned out by a startled hissing sound from whatever had hit him. He jumped, heart racing as a small green figure clad in black rushed towards the bars of their cell, kicking him in their scramble to reach the exit.

The guards were already pulling away from the locked door, and the small figure simply crashed against them uselessly. They still hissed at the guards though, anger showing throughout their body language. 

It was all a little too much. Caleb felt his hands shaking as he rapidly tried to snap fingers that he could barely feel. Finally, he got a clear snap through and Frumpkin was in his arms, purring and rubbing against his face. He curled back up in his corner, wrapping his arms around his cat, both to maximize contact with him, but also perhaps to shield him from any prying eyes.

He wasn’t sure how long he had slept before, nor how long he sat there, holding his cat and struggling to get his breathing under control. By the time he had, the green creature had stopped hissing at the bars and was now watching him with interest. 

He looked back at them out of the corner of his eyes, and through a wall of his hair. He wasn’t sure if they could tell he was looking at them, and they didn’t seem to react if they did know. 

The first thing he could tell was that it was a goblin, with deep green skin and bright yellow eyes. The mouth opened slightly to reveal long rows of sharp teeth, but they didn’t look at him menacingly, but rather with curiosity. 

He shifted his head slightly, no longer worried with hiding his observations, and made the realization that the goblin was actually a girl. She had a slim frame, covered with rough black clothes that fit loosely over her form. Her black hair was long and framed her face as she watched him.

“What is that?” she asked, her voice gravely, but soft. Oh… he had forgotten about his cat. He glanced up at the cameras. They were pointing to the other cell. He snapped his fingers quickly, and Frumpkin snapped back to his own dimension. It was best not to risk it. But the goblin saw.

She gasped and ran over, with no sense of personal boundaries, and lifted his arm, to search for the now missing feline. “Where did it go?” she asked, her voice cracking as it raised in volume. But before Caleb could answer, she jumped back away, flinching as if she expected him to hit her.

“Uh… it is gone,” he answered, unsure of this strange creature.

“But where?” she asked, looking at him suspiciously. “Did you do that?” Caleb ignored her question, and curled further into himself.

“And who are you, little one?” he asked, deflecting. Always deflecting.

“I… I’m a… a goblin,” she said, answering with hesitation and some hint of something. Loathing?

“I saw that,” he muttered in response. That wasn’t what he had asked.

“And… you don’t care? You aren’t afraid of me?” she asked, surprise in her voice.

“I… do not care if you are a goblin, no,” he answered. He wouldn’t admit that he was afraid of everyone at the moment, regardless of race. But that was a different type of fear. 

“Oh…” was all she said. She settled down onto the floor near to him, suddenly unwilling to move away. And there was silence for a moment. It was a good moment, and it gave him time to take control of his breathing again, even without his cat. 

“So you made the cat disappear,” the goblin said, quietly and thoughtfully. “Can you make stuff appear too?” Caleb gave it a thought. How much did he want to tell this girl? She seemed to be thinking hard, perhaps in the same way he had been earlier that night.

“Nein, not really,” he said, hesitating slightly, noting her disappointment. “What are you thinking of?”

“Lockpicks,” she muttered forlornly. Hm… that was a thought. But it was a dangerous thought. The two of them fell into an uneasy silence, Caleb curled into as small of a space as he could while the goblin rocked back and forth, thinking hard but unable to stay still. Her yellow eyes darted around, spying the camera and mapping out the layout of the halls that were visible to them. Planning.

Caleb wasn’t sure how he felt about this one. She seemed to want freedom just as badly as he did. But she was a stranger. He couldn’t trust her, not like that. But perhaps… perhaps it was worth the risk.

“What if I could summon the cat who could get some lockpicks?” he asked, watching her face intently. He needed to get out of here, and he wasn’t against using some help to do it. He needed to leave before they properly identified him. Before they find him. 

The goblin’s eyes widened immediately, but then she narrowed them in suspicion. “How would a cat know what lockpicks look like?” 

Caleb actually chuckled at that, though it was a nervous one. “He is a pretty smart cat.” He looked up, and timed his snap till the camera above looked away. Frumpkin reappeared and began to wind himself around the wizard’s arm. The goblins eyes widened again and she smiled, revealing a long toothy grin. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

It took them around an hour or so before they had a solid plan. Or at least, as solid as a plan can be that involved him completely trusting a stranger. It was a lot, but Caleb knew that he only had so much time. He couldn’t stay here long.

So that’s how he ended up trusting this little goblin girl enough with his undefended body. He breathed deeply to calm his nerves down, and then slid into Frumpkin’s eyes. The change in view was as strange as ever. The goblin looked different from below. 

Their eyes met, now as Frumpkin, and Caleb could see a keenly intelligent mind analyzing him from beyond the golden eyes that watched him. 

“Just so you know, I can still speak,” Caleb said, and he resisted chuckling as the goblin jumped, not expecting the human beside her to say anything. “But I will not be able to see or hear you.” There it was. He was trusting this goblin that he just met with his very life, just to gain his freedom. He hoped that it was worth it.

Frumpkin turned and left, sliding easily through the bars of the cell and trotting down the opposite hall from the one that the guards sat on watch. The jail was still very well lit, so Caleb guided his cat to be extra cautious as he moved through the rooms. A nearby clock read four am, and Caleb knew this meant that the building would be getting busy soon. They had to hurry.

A lone desk sat tucked into a corner, with a couple of drawers slightly ajar. Caleb urged Frumpkin to it, and had the cat look into the open drawers for any wires or tools that could be of use. 

“I see pens,” he whispered. “Tap me on the shoulder if anything I say is useful.” There was no tap, so he continued to search. In another drawer there were some pliers, but they were far too heavy for Frumpkin to lift. He continued to search.

“How about some paper clips?” he asked softly, after his cat had shoved his head into a third drawer. It was full of loose office supplies, and he had almost missed the paper clips entirely in the mess. He was glad that he didn’t when he felt a quick tapping on his shoulder, excited but still soft. He watched as Frumpkin finagled a couple of them out of the drawer, then drew himself back to himself to let his cat return on his own.

His own eyes focused on the new vision, and he took a deep breath. He had been holding it again. Stress does that to him. But the goblin hadn’t moved during the time that he was looking through his cat. She sat nearby, close but not too close, twiddling her thumbs.

She was anxious too. She finally looked up, sensing his gaze. It was strange. There was a softness to her, in her eyes. 

“So what is your name?” he asked, unsure what to do now that he had been caught staring.

“Oh… uh… it’s Nott. Nott the Brave,” she said, looking down as if she was ashamed of her name. Caleb couldn’t really blame her. He had his own shame to deal with.

“That is a nice name,” he muttered, only partially to her. “I am Caleb.” He did not tell her his last name. Not here. Not where there were cameras that might pick it up, or guards who could overhear. Not when he still felt as if he didn’t deserve the name.

Nott gasped. At first, Caleb was terrified that she had recognized him. But Frumpkin’s soft meow caught his attention, and he realized that the goblin’s eyes were on the cat, not him. 

“He is a smart cat!” Nott whispered excitedly. Caleb let out a nervous chuckle, then watched and waited as Nott reshaped the paperclips. Timing was of essence here, and his nervousness only grew.

Nott watched the camera with wide eyes, and waited till the perfect moment. Caleb’s eyes were on the guards, hand tense and ready to create a distraction if needed. Fortunately, the guards seemed too bored to bother looking in their general direction. The goblin had exactly two minutes to work. She had assured him that she could do it. He could only hope she was right.

The camera moved, and so did Nott. She stepped forward quickly, bending her hands around to fit the wire into the lock on the door. Since the jail was old, it still with shitty locks. They were lucky, but Caleb tried not to think about that right now. His luck rarely stayed with him.

It was getting close to the two minute mark. The screen that showed what the camera saw was right next to the guards. They couldn’t possibly miss it. Caleb couldn’t help but raise his hand, anxiously waiting for the shoe to drop and everything to go wrong. 

_Click ___

__Caleb let out a blast of fire, off down the hallway that Frumpkin had wandered down. A resounding crack told him he had hit his mark. The desk would be burning soon._ _

__The alarm was triggered immediately after Nott removed the wire picks, but the guards were already stumbling in confusion from the sounds they had heard down the hall._ _

__“Fire! Fire!” Caleb called out, forcing fear into his voice._ _

__“Fire? Oh shit, fire!” he heard a guard say, as they all began to panic. These guards were shit, but Caleb wasn’t upset. It made things easier._ _

__The guards rushed away, and Caleb sent more Fire Bolts out, this time towards their now unoccupied station. The station lit quickly. Nott immediately swung the door of their cell open, and the two of them dashed out._ _

__Caleb muttered “follow me”. She did without question, despite him leading her further into the jail, rather than to the exit. She didn’t complain though, and smiled with relief when they arrived in a small room, their belongings neatly arranged on a table for pending paperwork._ _

__They hurried out of the room, Caleb spreading the fire once more, knowing that even a bad sprinkler system could ruin their plan if they weren’t careful. With enough fire, hopefully the jail’s various out-of-date security systems would fail, and they would be declared dead._ _

__There was now smoke everywhere, and only occasional bouts of sprinkling water from above. He covered his face with a sleeve of his coat, and ignored the ringing in his ears. He’ll be fine if he could just not smell the smoke, if he didn’t hear any screams._ _

__‘I’ll be fine,’ he kept thinking to himself._ _

__Caleb led his new ally out of a back exit, breaking out into a crisp twilight and fresh air. There was shouting on the other side of the building, but it was at the front. They fled into a wooded area behind the complex, and disappeared into the wilderness._ _

__……………………………………………………………………………………………_ _

__They continued to flee for several hours before Caleb had to stop. It had been so much, on so little sleep. He just needed to take a break. He didn’t expect Nott to stop with him, but she did. He leaned against a tree, breathing hard and trying to control the shaking._ _

__Nott just leaned awkwardly against a tree. She was breathing harder than normal, but not nearly as hard as Caleb. She looked around at the forest around them, long ears twitching back and forth as she took in the sounds of the forest._ _

__They sat like this for around half an hour, just resting. Caleb could see Nott getting anxious, her movements faster and more twitchy. He took another deep breath then stood up again._ _

__“Think we can walk normally, from here?” he asked. They had traveled a good distance, but now they were just out in some random woods. They needed a new plan._ _

__“Yeah, I think so,” she answered, looking at him now. “I don’t think they’re following us.”_ _

__“I don’t believe so, no,” Caleb agreed. He coughed a little, but began to walk again. Nott followed, without question._ _

__They traveled for another hour or so, and Caleb waited for Nott to decide to wander in some other direction, but she seemed content to follow him for now. He was beginning to think she’d follow him without question, but that didn’t last too long._ _

__“So uhm… where are we going?” she asked, finally. They stopped again upon reaching a small stream, and Caleb knelt by the water’s side, not even caring about the risk of it being unclean. He was just so damn thirsty, after the fire and then running for so long._ _

__“North,” he answered, in between handfuls of crisp water. It was cold, and a natural stream coming down from a nearby mountain. At least they didn’t need to worry about it being sewage water._ _

__Nott nodded at that, and leaned down to drink as well. She was silent for a bit, but Caleb knew there were more questions to come._ _

__“There is a highway, not far from here,” he said, cutting off any line of questions she may pose to him. “We’ve cut through a lot of wilderness, and so long as they think we’re dead, we should be ok. Then, when we reach the highway, hopefully we can catch a ride into a nearby town after that.”_ _

__“Oh, ok.” Nott seemed content with that. Caleb wondered how she felt about following him, and when she would leave. He didn’t mind her staying though. It’s just that, there was no real reason for her to stay, so he may as well not get his hopes up._ _

__They continued walking now, heading north, and slightly east, in the direction that Caleb knew the highway to be. He had an image of a local map in his mind, and he used north as his guiding point. He was content enough, his freedom once again in his hands._ _

__“Wait,” a soft voice said, interrupting his thoughts. He stopped and turned to look at his small companion._ _

__Her eyes were wide as they darted around, and she crouched low to the ground. Her ears swiveled back and forth, listening for something that he clearly had missed. He slowly lowered himself towards the ground, looking around himself to try to see what she had sensed._ _

__“There is something big nearby. Maybe… maybe a bear?” she said, straining her eyes as she looked around. Caleb felt his breathing hitch as he glanced around, just waiting for something to charge them._ _

__Then, he heard it too. There was a barely audible huffing sound, far to their right, and a cracking sound that might be wood. Caleb felt his heart thudding in his chest now. He was not strong enough to fight a bear!_ _

__“Quick, this way,” she said, turning and heading west. “And quietly.”_ _

__Caleb followed, crouching as best he could. He couldn’t help but flinch at every snapped twig or crunched leaf that he missed underfoot. Nott on the other hand, moved silently through the woods, occasionally even disappearing from sight, despite him keeping his eyes trained on her as they moved._ _

__Her comfort in the wilderness was both reassuring and terrifying. He didn’t want to lose her now. They traveled like this for a good while, before she stopped and asked which way north was. Caleb pointed and they turned in that direction, still moving silently. Every so often, Nott would stop and listen, ears swiveling in every direction._ _

__Caleb strained to hear any signs of whatever he had heard earlier, but he couldn’t hear a thing besides his own breath. It kept him uneasy, and he struggled to stay calm as they moved quickly on._ _

__Nott stopped again, ears perked up. Then she smiled and slumped a little bit in relief. “I’m pretty sure we’ve lost it.”_ _

__Caleb sighed happily, taking a deep breath and leaning against a tree. “Oh, danke mein Freundin,” he muttered, still working on slowing his breathing down._ _

__“What?” Nott asked, looking at him with a confused look._ _

__“Sorry,” he muttered. “I said thank you.”_ _

__“Oh,” she replied. There was a moment of silence as they rested and caught their breath. Then another moment before Caleb realized that she seemed to want him to lead again. So he squared his shoulders and turned them north once more._ _

__They traveled like this for another hour or so, and Caleb was getting exhausted. The stream they had passed seemed like a year ago, but they had to keep going. It would get easier, once they reached the highway._ _

__By the time the gentle hum of a distant car reached his ears, he was about ready to collapse. They continued walking for another thirty minutes or so before the forest opened up suddenly, and they were faced with a long strip of asphalt._ _

__It was a small highway, and wasn’t very busy. They couldn’t see any cars on it yet, but Caleb knew it wouldn’t be long. He turned them in the direction away from the town they had just fled, and they had barely begun walking before a car crested a tall hill behind them._ _

__Caleb stopped, and stuck his hand out, thumb up. The car slowed a bit, but then passed them anyway, disappearing around a curve far up the road. Nott hissed in annoyance, but they kept walking._ _

__The next several cars passed without slowing down or stopping. Caleb was starting to get anxious again, but finally, a bright red semi slowed to a stop beside them. Caleb opened the door with some difficulty. It was heavy and high up, and he was sore all over from his overall shitty day. He still stepped aside though, and let Nott get in first._ _

__“Ew fuck,” the driver said, as the goblin began to enter his car. Caleb froze, but Nott was already backing up quickly, quiet apologies lost as the driver swore._ _

__“I ain’t driving no damn goblins! Git!”_ _

__“That is rather unnecessary,” Caleb said, not stopping her as Nott slid between him and the door to get back outside._ _

__“Look man, I’ll drive you where ever, but ain’t no goblins gettin in my truck,” the driver said, flailing his arms in their direction. Caleb sighed. He was far too tired to deal with this right now._ _

__“Very well then,” and he stepped down from the side of the truck and shut the door. He didn’t wait for the truck to start driving, but rather just started to walk again. Nott followed him quickly, and it was only a moment later that the truck drove off, continuing in the direction it had been driving._ _

__They walked in silence for a short while. Caleb ignored the growing hunger pains, and was really only thinking about how nice it would be to sit down when Nott spoke up._ _

__“Why didn’t you go with him?” she asked, not looking up as they walked. Caleb thought about it a moment. He didn’t really have an answer. He hadn’t thought about it at the time._ _

__“I guess it’s only fair that I ensure we reach town together. It’s fairly dangerous out here, on your own,” he muttered, forming the thoughts as he spoke them._ _

__“It would be easier for you to get a ride if I wasn’t here,” she replied, eyes downcast. There was a small frown on her face. Caleb thought about it and sighed._ _

__“Ja, that is correct. But that would be pretty unfair,” he admitted as he turned to watch an oncoming car, hand held out once more. He thought about the fear in his heart when she had noticed the bear and the relief he felt when they escaped it's vicinity. The car passed without slowing down. “I… I don’t mind waiting.”_ _

__That was a lie. He did. But the look of happiness and relief on his companion’s face quelled the feelings of frustration in him. He supposed it wasn’t a big deal. He’s dealt with worse._ _

__In the end, they walked for another hour or so before a small car pulled to a stop. The driver was an older human woman, with graying red hair and excessively large glasses. Her car was somewhat of a mess, and she didn’t seem to see Nott as she rushed to move books and trash from the seat next to her._ _

__“So sorry for this mess love, but I don’t mind driving you to the next town! It’s so god awful hot out here I can’t even imagine trying to walk all this way!” she said, her voice nasally and somewhat annoying._ _

__“Ja, thank you very much,” Caleb said, making a point of assisting her in moving her clutter. Perhaps if they just pretended that Nott wasn’t a goblin, she would just not notice. She hadn’t noticed it yet, which was surprising. Unfortunately, it didn't last, though only because Nott hesitated before actually entering the car._ _

__“Oh... oh… uhm --”_ _

__“Please, ignore my friend here. She is not as talkative as me, but I assure you, she is quite kind,” Caleb said, interrupting the awkward protest that seemed to be forming on the driver’s lips. He could tell that she didn’t want to admit that she didn’t want to drive a goblin. He just had to use that._ _

__“So many people have been so rude to us because of her race. It’s very unfortunate that that is still a problem in the Empire today,” he said, continuing to act as if it were nothing. He ushered Nott in, and the woman didn’t protest._ _

__“Oh, that is rather rude. So unfair,” she muttered, still uncomfortable. Caleb ignored it, and continue to chatter. She simply needed a distraction._ _

__“You have a lot of books in here,” he said, drawing attention away from his goblin friend as she buckled herself in. “Are there any good books? Do you have any suggestions?”_ _

__“Oh, well… as a matter of fact,” she said, eyes slowly leaving the backseat. She began to talk about several novels she was reading as she pulled back onto the road, no longer eyeing Nott._ _

__Caleb hid a sigh of relief, and slumped comfortably in the passenger seat. He still made a point to keep their driver distracted as they rode on, getting thorough summaries of each book in the car. It helped ease her discomfort as they traveled, but it didn’t change how quickly she ushered them out once they reached a small town. Caleb didn’t mind though, since he wanted to stop anyway for something to eat._ _

__He ordered some food for them to go at a small diner, and brought it out for Nott after it was finished. He didn’t even care that they sat to eat it at a random curb. It was cheap, greasy food, but it was the most delicious thing ever after everything that had gone through that day. With how viciously Nott ate, he could only imagine that she felt the same._ _

__They ate quickly, not out of a sense of urgency, but rather just from ravenous hunger. But after that, they simply lounged for a bit, resting after so many hours of walking._ _

__It was during this silence that Nott pulled something small out of the folds of her jacket. It was a book. She handed it to him, wordlessly._ _

__Caleb quirked an eyebrow at her before taking it and reading the title. It was one of the books from the car. Namely, it was the only one he had showed expressed interest in, being that it had at least some details on magic. He stared at it for a moment before fully registering what this must mean._ _

__“I’m sorry… I just… I have this itch…,” Nott said, not looking at him as she spoke. He found that he wasn’t really that bothered by it actually. He had done far worse in his life… Far worse…  
He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. Not now. They needed a plan. “That is an interesting itch,” he muttered, looking down the main street of town for some form of motel. It was getting late, and they had done enough traveling for today._ _

__“I don’t suppose you happened to have grabbed something that could get us a roof over our head, ja?” he asked, looking at her now._ _

__She looked down for a second, then glanced around. “I didn’t… but I can now.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da. Hopefully you liked this second chapter! Comments of any and all shades are welcome!


	3. Chapter Three (Gustav)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER WARNING for up to Episode 14 of Campaign 2
> 
> I know it's been forever, but hey, I thought I'd throw it out there. This chapter may be from Gustav's perspective, but it's all about Molly and his early days with the collective (a.k.a. the carnival). As part of this, Molly's personality is a little different earlier on in his life. Yes, this is intentional. No, it will not continue like that forever.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Gustav sighed as he waited for the nurses to complete the paperwork for Bo. He hated hospitals, but he would deal with them for his people.

The strongman had hurt himself during a performance, which was unusual for him. Normally it’s either the twins, with their calculated risks, or Orna and her regular burns. How that woman isn’t a mess of scars is beyond him, but her performances always draw the crowds, so he never complained.

In this case, it was due to a simple miscalculation in weight and momentum. The concrete didn’t quite break as easily as they had foreseen, and Bo’s wrist was fractured. Fortunately, from what the nurses told him, he took to the healing well and would recover quickly.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like it was going to be quick enough to leave this damn place. Hospitals always felt too sterile for him. To fake. It was a strange feeling that he knew was deeply rooted in him, but he didn’t bother to analyze it beyond that. He’d simply avoid them when he could.

This one was small, despite being in a decently large city. It had the feel of a run down place, where the nurses care just enough to keep their jobs, but not much more than that. Probably because of management.

As he waited, his eyes roamed, taking mental notes of where each of his people were. Desmond was speaking with the cleric who had been in charge of Bo’s healing. Orna hovered near by, probably wanting to be useful without having much to do. The twins were apparently trying to convince the workers in the nearby cafeteria to give them food. They were supposed to be watching Toya, since Kylre wasn’t allowed in the hospital. Wait.. Where is Toya?

Gustav stepped away from the nurse station to look around for the dwarf child. She was fairly well behaved, for someone so young, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t prone to the occasional wandering off.

When he found her, he felt himself sigh in relief. She had sat herself down next to a colorful patient who was sitting alone in the cafeteria. Gustav cocked an eyebrow in surprise, ever expressive despite currently speaking to no one.

The patient that Toya was sitting with was a lavender tiefling, his skin contrasting nicely with the pale blue hospital clothes he was wearing. Medical bracelets dangled on his wrist, and he seemed to be ignoring Toya for the most part, staring balefully at his food with crimson eyes. His dark purple hair was cut short, but was already curling at the tips. His body was slumped, as if he didn’t have the energy to care, which was unfortunate. He looked like he would make a great dancer.

The young dwarf didn’t seem to mind his attitude or silence, and quietly hummed to herself as she sat with him, tracing patterns on the table with her finger as she did.

“Alright, here’s your paperwork,” a harsh voice said suddenly, interrupting his viewing of the child and the tiefling. The nurse was back, and clearly in a rush to get rid of him. “His prescription is here, you can take care of that at a corner pharmacy. The bill is paid through our web portal, and this is it’s address. Is there anything else I can help you with?” she asked, clearly wanting him to answer no. But Gustav never did respond well to people trying to get rid of him.

“Who is that? The purple tiefling?” he asked, pointing to the strange figure. The nurse visibly sneered.

“Who M.T.? No one knows, and no one wants to know,” she said, disdain and a small hint of fear in her voice. Gustav remembered suddenly that some people were still quite superstitious about tieflings. He ignored the sudden wave of irritability that followed the realization, his curiosity still strong.

“What’s wrong with him?” he asked. As he did so, he saw the tiefling begin to mutter something to his plate. Toya leaned in to listen, but didn’t respond.

“Who fucking knows,” the nurse said, openly irritable now. “He’s not my patient, not my job. Ask Fiona,” she said as she jerked her thumb in the direction of a different nurse. She didn’t look too busy at the moment as she flipped through some paperwork at a nearby desk, and she appeared infinitely nicer then the one he was speaking to now, so Gustav decided he may as well giver her a shot.

He almost missed the first nurse’s annoyed muttering behind him, but then again, he always had good ears. “And maybe you can take that devil with you too, and leave us in peace.”

“Hello, are you Fiona?” Gustav asked as he approached the other desk, forcing the annoyance out of his voice and off of his face. People were terrible, but he didn’t need to be. The nurse he now spoke to turned and nodded. She was clearly tired, but she still smiled and greeted him kindly.

“Yes, I am; Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked, far more genuinely then the last nurse had. She was a half-elf as well, with red hair and freckles, and bright green eyes. Gustav grinned easily, possibly smitten.

“Yes, I was just wondering who that purple fellow over there is? It seems my friend’s daughter has taken a liking to him,” he said, barely noticing the lie that slide easily into his query. Fiona looked over to where he was pointed, and her face fell slightly. Not in a scared or angry way, but more in a sad way.

“Oh, we call him M.T. It’s all he’ll say, so we’re hoping they’re his initials,” she said, beginning to move in the direction of the dwarf child and tiefling patient. Gustav followed suit. “He wandered out of the Pearlbow Wilderness a few days ago.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Gustav asked again, curiosity fully piqued now.

“We aren’t really sure. He’s confused, for certain, but he can hear and understand us. He can feed himself so long as we sit him down in front of some food and put a spoon in his hand, and he doesn’t need help using the bathroom so long as we lead him there,” she continued. As they moved, Desmond wandered over as well, originally waiting to see if Gustav was done, but now also clearly enthralled in the story.

“We’ve tried a cure spell, as well as a restoration, but neither of them had any effect,” she said as they reached the table. Gustav winced at the nurses words. Those were expensive spells, and for them to not work out? What had happened to this poor guy.

Toya looked up at them, but the tiefling continued to stare at his plate, muttering something under his breath with a look of fear and despair threatening to break across his face. His crimson eyes were wide and unseeing, and his lips quivered as he whispered to himself.

“So was it magic?” Desmond asked. He had a small grasp of the arcane arts, beyond what Gustav knew. Apparently he had picked up something more from what the nurse had said. Gustav looked away from the terrified looking tiefling.

“We believe so. Perhaps a backfired spell, or even a curse,” Fiona said as she laid a gentle had on the tiefling’s shoulder. He didn’t react to it. The nurse continued speaking. “We did a couple of scans as well, and the doctor believes that he’ll recover eventually on his own, but we aren’t sure how long it’ll take. And with the other nurses not wanting to assist in his care, well…”

She didn’t need to continue. Gustav could tell what she was saying. It cost too much, to take care of a man who might not get better, with no idea of who he was or if he’d be able to pay them. He would probably end up being thrown out into the streets.

“It would be a different matter, if he was recovering,” she said, sadness openly in her voice. Gustav felt his heart go out, to each of them. It went out to the nurse who saw past appearances, and clearly just wanted what was best for her patient. And it went out to the tiefling who just needed time and help, and probably more than the one person who was willing to help him.

It was the start of a dangerous line of thought.

Desmond looked over at his friend and partner, and Gustav could tell that he was already piecing together what the half-elf was thinking. It was a bad idea.

The tiefling’s words got a little bit louder, breaking through the silence left over by Fiona’s last words. “M...T… M.T... M.T”. That was its own curiosity, and Gustav was really bad at controlling himself when it came to puzzle’s like that.

Then, Toya’s spoke up, voice crackling slightly as it always does. “What is empty?” she asked.

What? Gustav was about to correct her, when the tiefling stopped, and turned to look at the young dwarf, fear and confusion in his eyes.

“Me…” he said.

Oh… oh shit.

Fiona’s face mirrored Gustav’s thoughts, as her eyes grew wide and her mouth opened slightly. “Did he… did he just say that?” she asked, looking at the two men who stood next to her.

Desmond nodded thoughtfully in response, both answering her question and thinking hard about what this could mean. Gustav had already made a decision though.

“I have a question, Ms. Fiona. Can we take responsibility, for this man? Can we take him with us?”

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

It had taken several weeks to get Mollymauk’s fake paperwork in, and a couple of more weeks before he started to respond to the name consistently. Within those few weeks there had been dramatic improvement though.

The tiefling had started speaking more, though mostly in response to others. He no longer wandered around aimlessly. He’d begun to follow the various members around as they practiced, performed, and just lived out their lives.

It was easily confirmed, at that point, that he was suffering from extreme amnesia, and on top of that, his earliest memories were rather unpleasant apparently. His accounts were foggy at best, and overly vague at worst. No one pushed the topic though since it was clearly very upsetting for him.

But when he wasn’t remembering those early days, he seemed far happier than what he’d been in the hospital full of people who had hated him. And yet, he was still a puzzle Gustav was determined to unravel.

For someone unable to speak at first, Mollymauk had a fairly well defined vocabulary. Though he couldn’t explain how he knew the words. He was also quite dexterous, which was quite useful in a traveling performing arts collective. He learned various dances very quickly, though they didn’t interest him as much as Gustav would have hoped. But he did enjoy juggling, and took to that like a fish to water.

He also seemed to have a strange fascination with sharp objects. It didn’t take long before he started juggling knives, and then swords. When Gustav asked him if he would like to be a part of performances though, the tiefling always shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t think that this is it,” he said, voice thoughtful. “Juggling I mean. I enjoy it, but I don’t think it’s my performance yet.” Gustav nodded. It made sense. Besides, they’ve barely known the kid. He shouldn’t push him into a show too quickly anyway.

But boy did he enjoy watching them. Mollymauk was always right at the front to watch, whether it was for practice or in front of a large audience. He loved everyone’s performances, from their high dollar gigs to the times where Orna belly danced around a fire to a hand full of drums.

It was one of those nights. They were all camped outside of a tiny local renaissance festival. The bonfire was built high, and there was a drum circle settled to one side. Orna had joined some of the other belly dancers there, which was rather unfair to them considering the circumstances. She hadn’t pulled out her fire poi yet though so there was that.

Mollymauk had been drumming along with the others on a borrowed drum, keeping to a simple variation of the beat, but he set the drum aside and stood to follow Gustav as he spoke with a close friend.

The older elf that Gustav spoke to was Vorani, a fellow artist who often helped room the collective when they were in town. They were a little too numerous this year to room in her spare house, so instead they camped out at the local festival, enjoying the open spaces and carefree attitudes.

Mollymauk seemed enraptured, and Gustav couldn’t really blame him, because Vorani had always been quite the character. The elven woman was tall and graceful, but had the movements of a cat about to pounce. She was covered from head to toe in embroidered symbols, some nonsense and some truly arcane. Her shawl depicted an accurate map of the sky on the day of her birth, with the stars and planets sewn in a multitude of colors. Jewelry glittered on every finger, wrist, ankle, and ears, creating a pleasant jingle with every movement she made. Silver and gold combined with the jeweled tones of her clothes to create the colorful mess that was Vorani.

Gustav loved it, and clearly so did their new tiefling friend. He simply hovered at first, watching and waiting, but Vorani had never been a fan of passive encounters, and she quickly drew him in.

“Care for a fortune, love?” she asked, eyebrows quirking up. Gustav could detect a tiny hint of sarcasm in her words, but Mollymauk missed it entirely.

“I’m not entirely sure what you mean,” he said honestly. Vorani looked over at Gustav for but a second before taking the tiefling’s hand and leading him towards her own tent. It was a massive, extravagant thing, which made sense since she also worked here. Even in this modern day, people love having their fortunes told.

Gustav followed behind, just to ensure that his new ward didn’t wander off when she got done with him. The inside of the tent looked much like a medieval fortune teller’s tent, though bits of technology could be found hidden throughout, if you bothered to look. Vorani led Molly to a comfortable chair that was settled in front of an extravagant table. She settled on the other side of it, and began to shuffle her cards.

“So tell me, tiefling. Why so interested?” she asked conversationally.

“Mostly just because you were very colorful,” he answered, honestly again. “I really liked it.” She laughed in response.

“Good good. And I like you. What is your name?” she asked, her accompanied laugh light and twinkling like the little silver bells that adorned her wrists.

“Mollymauk. Mollymauk Tealeaf,” he answered, smiling easily.

“Then perhaps I should read your tea leaves then, instead of the cards?” she asked, still shuffling nonetheless.

“What exactly are the fortunes? What is their purpose?” Mollymauk asked instead, seemingly enthralled. “Is it actual magic or is it more of a show?” Straight to the point. But the elf didn’t seem to mind.

“That depends on what you want love, and what you can afford. I can do both if needed,” Vorani answered, a smile still playing on her lips. “As for their purpose, well, it is to help inform your future, and let you rediscover your past.” Gustav saw Molly hesitate.

“And what if I don’t have a past?” he asked, eyes searching.

“Well then,” Vorani said with a genuine smile, “you are a lucky man.”

Gustav chuckled awkwardly as he excused himself, certain now that the elf would take care of Mollymauk if needed. He just hoped that the night would end well for his tiefling ward.

Several hours passed, and neither Vorani nor Mollymauk left the tent, so eventually, Gustav went to go check on them.

He didn’t mean to intrude, nor to eavesdrop. But curiosity had always been his weakness. What sounded like gentle voices at first soon became strained, and emotional words. Gustav stopped and waited outside the tent entrance, telling himself that he was waiting until he wasn’t interrupting something. It wasn’t his fault that his hearing was so good.

Despite that, he only got snippets of what was said. The volume of the conversation rose and fell. There was only so much he could do to hear better, especially when he was still trying to convince himself that he wasn't eavesdropping. But if he combined what he was hearing now with what he had learned from the nurses, well… he had a good idea of what the early memories that often plagued his new ward entailed.

He tried to imagine Mollymauk crawling out of the ground like a zombie in a cheap b-movie. He _tried _to make the image lighthearted and funny. But he couldn’t. His brain only supplied darker images, rife with all the emotion and fear that he was currently hearing in his friend’s voice.__

__He remembered the despair on the teifling’s face at the hospital. And now it was all a little too much._ _

__He made a point of moving away a bit, then loudly approaching the tent once more. It didn’t seem to matter, because both Mollymauk and Vorani jumped at his arrival. Wine glasses were set out in front of both them, and there was at least one empty bottle on the table besides them. Incense burned to one side, filling the room with it’s gentle smoke and far less gentle scent. It gave the air a feeling of ancient magic._ _

__“Gustav! Do not scare us like that!” Vorani said, not even slightly serious. Gustav rolled his eyes with a laugh, knowing that she had even better hearing then he did. He wouldn’t even be surprised if she had heard his first approach. Mollymauk looked as if he had been thoroughly snuck up on though. He looked shaken, but still better. Like the talk he had been having had done him some good._ _

__“Sorry, sorry,” the half-elf said with a smile. “Was just coming to see how everything was going. It’s getting quite late.” It wasn’t a lie, and he was perceptive enough to see Mollymauk trying to stifle a yawn as he mentioned it._ _

__“That is true,” the elf admitted, though she didn’t seem to be feeling the late hour. “You’ve definitely earned some rest my friend,” she said as she turned to the lavender tiefling. Mollymauk looked back at her with a reverence that Gustav hadn’t seen on his face before, and he couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. But he didn’t interrupt the moment. It seemed important._ _

__“Keep moving forward, Molly. Keep learning and experiencing the world, and growing. Your past won’t matter in the slightest if you do,” Vorani said as she took a small stack of cards from nearby. She handed them gently to the lavender tiefling and Gustav could see his jaw drop at the gift._ _

__“The Moonweaver’s blessing is on you child,” she continued, her eyes locked with the crimson ones before her. Mollymauk simply nodded, slowly, before finally standing up._ _

__There was a moment of pause, where he seemed to hover in place, wanting something more. The elf read him and understood. She opened her arms wide, and Mollymauk stepped forward eagerly to hug her._ _

__They held each other for a moment more, almost as if they hadn’t met only a few hours before. Gustav sighed quietly, marveling at the power that Vorani had over people. It was good that she always used it for good. This night showed it._ _

__They finally separated, and Mollymauk and Gustav bowed out of the extravagant tent. They started walking back to their own campground and the tiefling began to excitedly relay what all had happened._ _

__It was as if he was an entirely different person. He spoke, not when spoken to, but freely. His words gushed as they walked, telling stories that she had told him about skydancers, and The Moonweaver, and the tricks and trades of fortune telling._ _

__“She said she would teach me,” he said as they neared their own tents. “If we have time that is.”_ _

__“That could be interesting. I know the others are not eager to leave yet. Perhaps we will stay somewhat longer, and let you learn,” Gustav replied with a laugh. Mollymauk nodded happily, a broad smile on his face. It was good to see him so cheerful and carefree._ _

__“Well, I am retiring for the night then. Sleep well, Mollymauk,” he said as he started to duck into his tent, giving the tiefling a chance to respond before he disappeared entirely._ _

__“Goodnight to you too, Gustav. And oh, call me Molly,” he added with a quirk of his lips. Gustav simply nodded, and committed the change to his memory. Molly was starting to become more of a person. He was creating himself every day._ _

__……………………………………………………………………………_ _

__Gustav sighed happily as their two cars turned a corner and a large clearing came into view. It was one of his favorite performance sites, and he was glad to be back here. He pulled the car he drove over onto the makeshift parking lot, and was out of the driver’s seat before their van even made it into its own spot._ _

__The bustle of the city was right on the horizon, only barely covered by a tall wall of trees. But the wilderness reached out, the calls of the wild animals of the woods and the howl of the wind through the trees competing with the roar of highways and honking of cars far off in the distance._ _

__At night, the skyglow of the city would only serve to outline the trees in a pale orange halo of light. Combine that with the light of a bonfire and strings of twinkling holiday lights, and they would have some wonderful atmosphere._ _

__Other then that, there wasn’t much to this nearly forgotten meadow. It had an address outside of city limits (screw you city ordinance), and a meter for electricity. A small water faucet rose from the ground off to one side, dripping slowly onto the concrete slab below it. It had everything they needed for a performance space, which wasn’t a lot. It was an open book, to be used however they wished._ _

__The various members of the collective crawled out of either the car or the van, a couple of them already unloading supplies as they did so. Molly held a box of tangled holiday lights in his arms as he stepped out into the bright sun, his eyes already roaming across the open meadow that they had arrived at. His newly healed tattoos wrinkled slightly as he smiled widely with delight._ _

__He lowered the box to the ground quickly though, his eyes lighting up on a sprinkling of wild flowers below him. Gustav watched as he followed them, heading into the tall grass of the meadow. Then the half-elf looked away, ready to busy himself with preparations._ _

__He jumped as Molly let out a startled sound. It wasn’t a frightened sound, but Gustav was still somewhat protective of the tiefling after what had happened the other night. There had been an accident, and blood. Then a lot of confusion._ _

__He headed around a small corner made of trees and bushes, aiming to where he had seen Molly wander off too, and where his startled yelp had come from. He ended up almost tripping over the tiefling though as he rounded the corner and found him immediately there, crouched low to the ground._ _

__But they weren’t alone._ _

__There was a woman there, perched in a defensive crouch in a tall patch of wildflowers, looking as if she belonged in an entirely different picture. Her clothes were torn and dark, comprised of shades of black and gray but smeared with green and browns stains that spoke of heavy travel through wooded areas. Long black hair faded to silvery white at the tips, but was tangled and matted with leaves and small sticks hidden throughout._ _

__And she was tall, despite being hunched over and guarded. But she was also thin, as if she hadn’t eaten in a long time, though muscles rippled under her skin as she waited to defend herself from the strange people who had stumbled upon her. Her eyebrows furrowed and Gustav was suddenly caught up in the brightest eyes he had ever seen. One was teal, and one was violet, and they were so brightly colored, standing out against the almost completely faded black makeup that surrounded them._ _

__Molly’s voice broke through the haze of confusion. It brought Gustav back to the present, and it made the strange woman look away from the half elf and train her too bright eyes at the tiefling instead._ _

__“I’m really sorry about the scare,” he said, raising his arms slowly as he tried to defuse the tension. “I wasn’t really paying attention where I was going.”_ _

__The woman straightened herself a little bit, seeming to acknowledge that they didn’t intend to attack her at least. It made Gustav wonder why she was so defensive, who had tried to hurt her before, and if they had survived the encounter. There was that damn curiosity again._ _

__“I am Mollymauk Tealeaf. What’s your name?” Molly asked, extending one of his hands out to the woman before them. She looked down at the offered hand, as if she didn’t know what to do with it. She didn’t take it, but she didn’t flinch away from it either. In the end, she simply sat down, surrounding herself in the wildflowers that they had found her in. The pinpricks of colors splashed against the grays and blacks of her clothes, and as she relaxed, she looked far less imposing, and far more human._ _

__“It’s Yasha,” she answered._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed it, and as always, any questions, comments, or critiques are welcome!


	4. Chapter Four (Jester)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this chapter was for some reason, rather difficult for me to stick to. But it is finally done. I did also have to go back and make a couple of edits for the earlier chapters, because research revealed some things I had missed. But they are minor edits. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

Jester hummed happily as she drove through fields of grain. The sun was setting and it gave the area that they drove through a golden glow that reminded her of the oncoming autumn that would soon descend upon them. 

Fjord, her second best friend, stared quietly out the passenger window, golden eyes focusing on the ocean of grain that surrounded them. He was pretty fun to talk to, but Jester had noticed that he was also definitely the type to just stare into space if you didn’t involve him in the conversation. So every now and then, she let him have a break from all of the super awesome conversations that they were having. He seemed to enjoy the breaks, but not so much that he got annoyed when she started talking again.

The only issue that this caused was that sometimes, eventually, she needed something to break up the monotony. Perhaps a billboard. Or an off-handed joke. She started to focus as her hand found the small gold medallion at her waist, to ask The Traveler for an idea of what to think about when a small, blue spec appeared on the horizon.

The Traveler always listens to her, and he knows her so well! And a hitchhiker is the _best _distraction.__

__“Ooh! Oh Fjord, look! A hitchhiker!” Jester squealed excitedly. She had heard many stories about them, but had never had the opportunity to pick one up! She felt her tail thump excitedly against her seat as her traveling companion perked up and looked around._ _

__The figure on the horizon slowly grew bigger, but it was still difficult to see any details from this distance. Here, they just looked like a humanoid dressed in flowing blues._ _

__“Oh my god we should pick them up!” Jester said excitedly as she took her foot off the gas. Her car began to slow down naturally, though she realized she may need to apply breaks if she wanted to stop at the perfect spot._ _

__“Wait, Jester, isn’t it a bad idea to pick up hitchhikers?” Fjord asked, eyes squinting to try to see more details._ _

__“What?” the tiefling asked. “Why?”_ _

__“I mean, he could be dangerous,” the half-orc responded, though he didn’t sound too concerned to Jester. Perhaps he just felt like that’s how you’re supposed to think._ _

__“Well, if they are, then we can easily beat them up,” she responded with an easy smile. She saw the half-orc falter at that, seeming to not really have a response. “Just like those racist assholes in Port Damali! Now quick! Clear out a space on the backseat!”_ _

__Fjord shrugged his shoulders before unbuckling his seatbelt and turning to reach into the back seat. Jester giggled again, though she wasn’t sure if it was because she was excited about the hitchhiker or because Fjord looked funny trying to squeeze between the driver and passenger seats._ _

__As Jester slowed down, she saw the hitchhiker stop and stretch out a hand. It was a woman, with dark skin that glistened under bright layers of pale blue fabric. Her hair was tied up on top of her head, and she carried a backpack slung over one shoulder._ _

__As Jester slowed down to a final stop, Fjord was already settling back in his seat, job now done. She rolled down his window as the woman approached, and finally got a really good look at her._ _

__And boy did she look strong! Dark blue fabric wrapped around her hands and wrists like a glove, and a dark blue sports bra revealed very toned abs. The flowing blue fabric that had followed her like a cloak was actually a super long blue hoodie, with cut off sleeves. She looked like she was ready to throw down at any moment, though right now, she looked like she just wanted to sit down._ _

__“Hey! Mind if I get a ride into the next town?” she asked as she approached the window. The face that looked through the window at them was rough, but rather pretty. Bright blue eyes looked at them under a pierced brow and her lips quirked up somewhat awkwardly in to a smile. Jester smiled back quickly._ _

__“Yes, yes of course! Feel free to get in! My name is Jester, and this is my friend, Fjord!” Jester was practically vibrating in her seat, but that didn’t seem to throw the human woman off. She climbed into the back quickly, and slouched against the seat as the AC hit her._ _

__“Oh man this is nice. It’s hot as balls out there,” she said as the car started off. She didn’t have much of a break though before Jester started to pelt her with questions._ _

__“Oh my god so like, who are you? Where are you going?! What’s your name? Whats --”_ _

__“-- Jester, give the girl a chance to answer,” Fjord interrupted, a wry smile on his face. Jester noted that he had settled on using a sort of southern drawl for this woman, rather than the voice that he had used in Port Damali._ _

__After that first night, he had regularly changed how he spoke, switching between different accents consistently as they spoke to different people. She had decided not to mention it, and stuck to that decision now. She instead just stuck her tongue out at him and complied with his request._ _

__“Wow, that was a lot,” the human woman said, eyes blinking slightly as she took it all in. “Uh, my name is Beauregard.”_ _

__“Beauregard? That’s a cool name!” Jester said as the car picked up speed. They were finally getting back to normal highway speed now, with the fields of grain around them blending back into an ocean of gold._ _

__“Yeah, it’s a boy name,” the human said, voice dry but expressing some form of subtle discontent. Fjord just cocked an eyebrow at that._ _

__“And where are you headed, Beauregard?” he asked, turning around in his seat to look at her._ _

__“Ugh, actually, just call me Beau,” she said as she looked away from him. “That sounded a bit too much like my dad.”_ _

__“Oh, I’m sorry about that?” Fjord said, looking at Jester with some confusion. Jester just shrugged her shoulders at him. She liked Beau better then Beauregard anyway. It fit better._ _

__“Nah, it’s all good. And I’m going to any town you want to go to. I’m just traveling,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and seeming to bounce back to indifference from whatever sliver of annoyance she had felt._ _

__“Oh my god, so are we!” Jester said with a smile. “We’re heading for Trostenwald right now, but we’re eventually going to make our way to Rexxentrum to see if we can get Fjord into the Academy there! But like, we also really just need to spend some time somewhere with good wi-fi and maybe somewhere where we can work a bit and get some more money because like, we’re starting to run low and stuff and hotels are so expensive!”_ _

__“Dude, I know right?!” Beau said suddenly, leaning up as she did so. “Like, traveling and being on your own costs a lot of fucking notes man.”_ _

__“Right?! Well hey, maybe you can come with us and share a hotel with us and maybe we can find some work in Trostenwald and it’ll be super cool and we can be friends too!” Jester said as she tried to control the building excitement._ _

__She had been so lonely for so long. And Fjord had become such a wonderful friend but what if she could have _more _?___ _

____“Uh, yeah sure,” Beau said, eyes only briefly meeting Jester’s in the rearview mirror before flitting away to look to the side. Jester felt a small pang at the sadness at what she had seen there. It had only be there for a moment, but she saw it. This girl was lonely too. She totally seemed like the type who would _never _admit it though.___ _ _ _

______“That is super great! So have you ever been to Trostenwald Beau? Do you know what it’s like?” she asked, pleased that the girl hadn’t completely dismissed the idea of becoming friends._ _ _ _ _ _

______“No, but I’ve heard about it. Lots of beer there, yeah?” she said as she stretched out across the back seat, lounging as they drove._ _ _ _ _ _

______“We don’t really know much about it,” Fjord replied, his voice a smooth counterpoint to Beau’s rougher one. “We’re mostly stopping there because it’s the biggest town on our route. Big towns are often easier to find temporary work in.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, I hear that,” Beau said, her face now hidden behind Jester’s own seat. This meant that Fjord could probably see her face easier though, and Jester noticed that he’d glance towards their new companion fairly often as they drove. Maybe he actually was more cautious than she had thought._ _ _ _ _ _

______Oh well though. The Traveler wouldn’t have brought a mean hitchhiker to her, so Jester felt rather confident as they drove on._ _ _ _ _ _

______……………………………………………………._ _ _ _ _ _

______In the end, they weren’t too far outside of town anyway. They arrived right at dark, and the glimmering lights of the small city greeted them warmly. Trostenwald was smaller than Jester had anticipated, though she noticed several interesting locations for them to visit in search of work as they drove through._ _ _ _ _ _

______With very light prodding from Beau, they stopped at a small diner for some food. The human was ravenous, and it wasn’t until after they had all mostly finished eating that they were able to plan out their next move._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I mean, most hotels have wi-fi, right?” Beau asked as she polished her plate with a roll._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, but that’s only a part of it. My commissions don’t bring in _too _much money,” Jester said as she dug into a pie that she had ordered for dessert.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Commissions?” Beau asked, heading tilting to the side as she spoke._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh yeah, I make OC commissions and sell them online. I had a couple last time we were in town, and I’ve worked on them a bit in between driving but like, now I need to send them off and stuff,” Jester answered with a smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Beau looked at Fjord for some form of explanation but he just shrugged his shoulders. Jester giggled, because Fjord was so polite about not asking what she was always drawing even though he was totally curious and she would be perfectly fine with letting him see them. He just never asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ok, so what sort of commissions do you do?” Beau asked, her brow still quirked. Jester giggled again, because it was always cute finding non-fandom people._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I draw naked people,” she said with a laugh as she pulled out her phone. Her most recent commission was a D &D character that she had drawn several times for one particular client. The first few hadn’t been naked, but Jester was _really _good with the nude form and in the end, her portfolio of hot naked people had prompted the client to order one of those sorts of drawings.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It didn’t help that there was a super funny story about why said character was naked and standing at the door while her potential boyfriend blushed repeatedly and stammered something about liquid courage. She had had a lot of fun drawing that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She slid the phone over to Beau, noticing how Fjord began to blush a bit as he saw the picture too. Beau’s eyebrows rose and she nodded, surprised but appreciating all the same._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Uh, yeah, that’s a really hot naked chick,” she said. “And you get paid to draw those?” She continued to look at the photo for a bit longer than most people normally would, but she did hesitatingly hand back the phone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well yeah,” Jester said as she took it back. “Art costs money, and fortunately, people in fandom are better at understanding that now. A lot of the older stuff in my portfolio is fan art, but OC commissions are where it’s at! That and furry porn.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What porn?” Fjord asked, the confusion on his face absolutely adorable._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Eeh, it’s nothing,” Beau said quickly, and Jester couldn’t help but giggle because Beau didn’t know what OC stood for but she knew what furry porn was. She really liked this human._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“But I suppose the real question is what are _you _going to do Beau? Did you still want to skip off on your own or would you rather hang out with us?” Jester asked, not letting her excitement bleed too much into her words. She didn’t want to admit to the human how badly she wanted to be friends. That chases people off some times.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I don’t know. What are you guys even planning on doing?” Beau asked. She shrugged her shoulders in indifference, and she was pretty good at looking like she didn’t care, but Jester could see a hidden layer underneath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She may want to look standoffish, but Jester could tell that she was lonely, and maybe, just maybe even a bit lost. She didn’t seem to have any direction, and she appeared to be searching for some. Jester tucked that tiny bit of information away, for her to later either confirm or dismiss._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________People were such interesting puzzles, and she wished that she had had more of a chance to study them before now. Her mom had taught her a lot about how to read people, but it was an entirely different thing to practice on real strangers!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well, we need to find some freelance work, or any good temp work,” Fjord replied, leaning back in the booth he shared with Jester. “Most cities like this have some form of job postings somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding where there are.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Makes sense. I mean, I guess I could tag along, depending on what work you want to do,” Beau said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well, we won’t know what work we can do ‘til we find where it’s listed. I think the best place would be to check the city website,” Fjord said. He pulled out the new phone he had recently bought to check for wi-fi in the area, but it was useless. Jester had already checked and this diner didn’t seem to provide that sort of service._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So is the next step finding a hotel room?” Jester asked and she finished up her pie._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The others simply nodded, and Jester couldn’t help but feel a wave of excitement. She wasn’t sure if this was how most people normally make friends, but she absolutely loved it, because now she had two! She celebrated her excitement by loosening the lid on the salt and pepper shakers so that they would fall when used._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________They all packed up and climbed back into her car, all eyes peeled for a nice looking hotel. There were a couple of shady ones that they passed, but both Beau and Fjord really didn’t like the look of them. They kept driving, when a brightly lit sign appeared around the bend reading “The Nestled Nook Inn”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________They drove closer and found a decent sized hotel with an attached restaurant and pool. Bold black letters under the sign announced that wi-fi was included, and the three of them agreed that this seemed to be a good start._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jester handled paying for the room, though both Beau and Fjord helped front some of the silver for it. Then, the three of them carried their few belongings into the lobby and up towards the elevator._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jester immediately claimed the bed closest to the AC and began to unpack her bags, spreading out her laptop, chargers, sketchbook, and fluffy blanket that she always brought with her. Fjord took the other bed, as he always did and Beau just kind of, stood there awkwardly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Did you want to share this bed Beau?” she asked, realizing that she forgot the human might not know where to go. She didn’t stop to think about whether that would be weird until after she said it, but Beau just shrugged and dropped her bag on the other side of the bed. That problem was solved._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jester flipped open her laptop and typed in the password she had been given. Within moments, the wi-fi was connected and she was surfing the web. Fjord and Beau took a little longer to settle in, and Jester used that time to check her social media and send off her commissions._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________After a while, her two roommates were done settling in for the night and turned to her. She nodded and started looking for the local work they had been talking about. Turns out Fjord was right on the money when he suggested checking the city website._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Here it is!” Jester said before scooching over so that they could also see the screen. The city website had a link to a web portal where people could put in requests for work, general calls to aid, and even full job postings. Beau and Fjord leaned over to look as she browsed, settling down on either side of her on the bed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“There’s a babysitter job, a pest exterminator thingy, oh and someone needs help assembling some furniture from the General Store. All of these things sound boring!” Jester said as she scrolled through the listings._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well, what sort of jobs were you hoping for?” Fjord asked, golden eyes still on the screen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I dunno, something fun,” she responded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“This Baumbauch Family Brewery seems to be posting a lot of requests. Could go do some work for some beer,” Beau said with a shrug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Eeh, I don’t actually like beer all that much,” Jester said as she continued to search through the listings for something that sounded entertaining._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Too bad there aren’t any job postings asking people to beat other people up,” Jester muttered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You like to fight?” Beau asked with a slightly disbelieving chuckle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah we do! Fjord and I totally took down a bunch of racist assholes in Port Damali! Fjord was swiping around with his sword, and I had my spiritual weapon, which is a super cute pink bat, and then Fjord shot out some magic that totally killed the last guy and--”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“-- We didn’t kill anyone. We sent the guards to the location afterwards,” Fjord interrupted, shaking his head as he slipped back to his bed. He seemed pretty embarrassed by the conversation. Jester couldn’t figure out why, because she totally didn’t even mention that he was getting beat up before she arrived._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________And even then, he shouldn’t even be embarrassed by that because it was totally five against one and that isn’t fair. Sure, five versus two isn’t much better but Jester is pretty awesome so they totally won, but still._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Huh,” Beau huffed, seeming somewhat more convinced then before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“We could totally fight people for money,” Jester said, fully confident that they would be great at it, especially if Beau helped. She looked like she could easily fuck some racist assholes up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Unfortunately, no one was hiring anyone to beat anyone up. The closest they could find for something like that was someone complaining about large rats that needed to be killed and several complaints about giant snakes attacking The Dock Ward, whatever that was._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The snakes part could have been cool, but no one knew when they would show up, so there was really no point in trying to seek them out. It seemed like people were mostly just complaining about it, trying to get the local government to figure out what was causing them to attack._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A representative from the city commented on each snake post with a generic line about how the Ustaloch was being investigated and that top scientists and mages were looking into the problem. It sounded like they were just trying to shut people up. Jester decided she’d keep an eye out for large snakes anyway, just in case._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________In the end, they decided to just try doing a day of work for the Baumbauch Family Brewery. Just until they could find other, cooler stuff. Jester sighed and pulled out her sketchbook. She hadn’t done much that day, so she simply drew a really detailed drawing of Beau as she watched T.V._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She was a gift from The Traveler, after all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________……………………………………………...………………_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________They arrived at the Baumbauch Family Brewery early the next morning, solely because both Fjord and Beau seemed to like to wake up early. Jester continued to try to sleep, like a normal person, but it was hard to do that when one of your roommates woke up before dawn to shower and the other started doing stretches and pushups right by your bed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The sun was just barely coasting over the gentle waves of The Ustaloch, and for the first time in a long while, Jester felt a strong pang of homesickness. The Ustaloch was big, but it wasn’t the ocean. She could see the way Fjord watched it and knew that he was feeling the same thing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The brewery that they arrived at was big, and it combined a traditional style of architecture with the highest quality equipment that gold could buy. It was nice aesthetically, but a little austentatious. Like they needed you to know that they had money._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The manager in charge waved them through with few words, pushing them off towards the few experienced workers that were there for the day. For how large the warehouse was, there weren’t many workers, but they didn’t wander off or leave the newbies behind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________It turned out that most of the work they were needed for was pretty simple. They were moving products from various spots in the warehouse to other locations. Said locations ranged from the adjoined restaurant attached to the brewery, to trucks for shipment, to different spaces within the warehouse._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The experienced workers moved fast, and they egged the three of them on to move fast with them. They were understanding enough though, and were kind as they explained to Jester how to operate the heavy equipment. That being said, they also made the terrible mistake of leaving Beau and Jester unsupervised with two of the pallet jacks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Ya want to race?” Beau asked, spinning the jack around and stepping up onto it like a scooter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You can race these things?” Jester responded, excitement building quickly as she clumsily copied Beau’s movement. Said things weren’t the easiest to maneuver, but the route they were taking back to the stacks of pallets to be worked was a straight shot with plenty of room on either side. How hard could it be?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Fuck yeah you can! You ready?” Beau asked, kind enough to wait till Jester had hers turned around, despite clearly raring to go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Get set and go!” Jester yelled with a laugh, pushing along the ground with her foot like a scooter. It took a couple of pushes to get the jack going, but once it was, it moved quickly and smoothly over the even tiled floor. It was actually faster than she expected, and they were rapidly crossing the warehouse, Beau right behind her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The large black handle provided a good grip for Jester to hold on to, and the whole thing was rather fun for the first ten seconds. Then, she realized fairly quickly that what had once looked like a long stretch of warehouse turned out to be a far shorter distance than she had realized._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Shit shit shit shit!” Beau yelled to her side. Apparently she had noticed it as well. Jester dropped one foot to the side, grinding it down onto the smooth tile floor like a break. It kind of helped. It might be enough. Beau took a different route._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The human twisted the black handle that they used to operate the lifts, trying to turn down one of the many rows of pallets. It didn’t work. The pallet jack simply ignored her, skipping past the isle she had been aiming for and slamming straight into a pile of old pallets._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Beau jumped clear as the pallet jack collided with tall columns of rough wood, rolling easily and coming back into a standing position. Jester dug her heel in even more, and finally, her jack slowed to a stop, almost crashing into the far wall but stopping just short of it instead. She was good like that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Immediately, shouts were heard throughout the warehouse. The regular employees rushed towards them, concern on their faces. From the other direction, the manager approached, a far less pleasant look on his. And then poor Fjord came around the corner, a confused look on his face that quickly turned into exasperated awe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I walked away for two seconds damnit!” he muttered, though Jester could tell he wasn’t actually mad. The manager on the other hand, was. Jester tuned out most of what he said, though she nodded her head along as he yelled at them. Fortunately, they had only wrecked a pile of empty pallets, so it was an easy fix and they were allowed to continue work for the day, once they restacked the pile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Fjord was nice enough to help them, though he chastised them a bit too, insisting that they should at least try to keep a low profile. But Jester and Beau got a good laugh out of it, and the punishment of stacking pallets was literally nothing to either of them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________It didn’t take long after that for a loud bell to ring throughout the warehouse, and everyone stopped working. Jester looked around in confusion as the other employees stopped what they were doing and started heading towards the exit. They decided to follow everyone, since that’s what it seemed like they were supposed to do._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Apparently, it was the lunch bell. That figured out, they stood around and discussed where to go for said lunch when a couple of the normal employees asked them if they’d like to carpool to a local fast food joint with them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jester didn’t even wait to ask the others before she agreed, but fortunately, the others didn’t seem to mind. So they all piled up in one of the employee’s van and drove over to a nice little burger joint around the corner._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“The name’s Vann,” one of them said. He was a tall and lanky human, who still carried crates just as easily as his burly compatriots._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Jamesan,” the other muttered. Jamesan had been the least talkative one of everyone that they had interacted with, but he still seemed fairly nice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“And my name is Jester. You know, I just realized that you never introduced yourselves earlier,” she said, the realization hitting her suddenly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, sorry about that,” Vann said as they climbed out of the vehicle. “We normally try not to get attached to the temp workers.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“And why is that?” Fjord asked, curiosity on his face. Beau seemed to lean in as well, also interested._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well… we’ll get to that in a second I guess,” Vann said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Let’s order and get our food first.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jester wasn’t sure if he was trying to deflect the conversation or not, but if he was, it didn’t work. The moment food was ordered and they all settled down at their table, Beau leaned in, a cynical and knowing look on her face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So why not get attached?” she asked, her pierced eyebrow quirking up. Vann looked down awkwardly and Jamesan sighed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well, it’s really just because they don’t hire temp workers multiple times, in most cases. And that’s even if they want to come back after they get their pay,” Vann answered, not looking at them as he did._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Demedan doesn’t pay the temp workers very well. He relies on the temp work to cut his costs a lot,” Jameson said, not looking nearly as guilty about the topic. He more just looked slightly dead inside. Minimum wage jobs suck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So what are we going to get paid?” Beau asked, openly scornful now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Probably just a handful of silver,” Vann said with an apologetic shrug. “Five tops, and that’s assuming that it isn’t less since you took the pallet jacks for a race.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Dude, that’s bullshit,” Beau said, brows narrowed as she thought about it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, that’s really low for this sort of work,” Fjord said, disappointment showing on his face as well._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Is that minimum wage?” Jester asked. Yeah, the sums were really low, but she also knew that she didn’t really have a very accurate understanding of how much pay stockers normally get._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Technically below it,” Beau said, crossing her arms. Vann and Jamesan simply looked away. “But I’m guessing that the Baumbauch’s are abusing the temp work laws and cutting costs were they can.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You hit it right on the head,” Vann replied._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“What temp work laws?” Jester asked, still not really sure about everything they were discussing. The empire operated differently than Nicodranas did, and even then, she hadn’t really been one to study up on local laws and work policies._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, they’re a handful of bullshit laws from ancient times that let business owners get away with treating temporary workers like shit,” Beau said, not even bothering to lower her voice as their food arrived._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah… Because Demedan can rely on super cheap temp labor, he never bothers to hire full time staff, even though it could increase productivity and organization if he did,” Vann explained._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“It makes our jobs harder,” Jamesan said, his words quiet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“How so?” Fjord asked, genuinely curious._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“It’s our responsibility to make sure that you guys are working properly, and are productive enough, and don’t do things like race pallet jacks,” Vann said, a weak smirk flitting across his face at the last example. He didn’t seem super bothered by their race, though Jester had a feeling he might be punished for it later, from what they were telling them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“And that wasn’t a part of the job description,” Jamesan muttered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So who is this Demedan?” Fjord asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Demedan Baumbauch, the patriarch of the Baumbauch family, and owner of the brewery,” Vann said, a sort of deadened anger in his words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You aren’t a fan?” Beau asked, calmer now, though still cynical._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Not really no,” Vann said as he looked up at her. “But I was lucky to get this position, so I’m not going to throw it away. Not yet anyway.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Are there not a lot of permanent jobs in the area?” Fjord asked as he checked the time on his phone. It took Jester a bit to figure out why he’d be watching the time, but then she remembered that normal people had to be back from lunch at certain times._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Man she loved being a freelance artist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“No, and with the influx of Xjorhasian refugees, even the temp work is starting to run dry,” Vann replied. “So I’m sticking with Baumbauch until I burnout completely.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Is that a common thing?” Beau asked, sounding like she already knew the answer. The two of them gave a curt laugh at her question but didn’t really answer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“There are also laws in place to protect temporary workers though. What about them?” Fjord asked, crossing his arms as he did. Jameson gave a curt huff of a laugh and Vann only sighed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You have to report him to your local government, and that’s not going to work here,” the gangly human said. “He’s close friends with the Starosta, so reporting him is pointless.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Cool,” Beau said as she aggressively bit into her food._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, it helps him get away with a lot,” Vann said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Oh yeah?” Beau asked, her eyes only barely hiding a strange hunger. She leaned in, almost imperceptibly, like a hunter stalking its prey._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well…” Vann said hesitatingly, clearly caught off guard by her interest. “It’s not anything big, just minor things, you know.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Sure they are,” Beau said with a wry smile and skeptical eyes. She didn’t dig deeper though, as Fjord interrupted before she could._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“We should probably be heading back soon,” he said with a pointed look at their new friend. She looked back at him with a confused look, but then understood when Fjord finished off his food. Beau had barely eaten any of her burger, since she had been talking so much._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah yeah, alright,” she muttered as she began to eat in ernest, eliciting a weak chuckle from Vann as he did the same, his own meal also almost untouched._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________They finished their lunch in silence, but it faded to more light-hearted chatter as they drove back to the brewery. Jester regaled the locals with tales of the ocean, which Fjord also added to._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She could tell that he loved the ocean a lot. You could see it in the way he looked at the Ustaloch and the way he talked about sailing. She wondered for a moment if he had ever been to Nicodranas, and then she began to daydream about what it would have been like, if they had met once as kids. She liked that idea._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________But she didn’t need to daydream about being a little girl with friends, because her lonely days were clearly over. She really liked Fjord, and she also really liked Beau, and they were wonderful friends and she didn’t have to worry about this trip anymore. The Traveler had blessed her with new companions on this journey she was taking, and she was so incredibly grateful. Now all she needed to do was thank him for it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She smiled as she began to daydream about what she could do to knock Demedan Baumbauch down a peg._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ya go. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Quick question though. Are Tuesdays a good day for me to update this fic? I'm considering switching it to another day. Any thoughts on the matter? If so, drop a comment and let me know, because I'm really trying to decide if I want to stick with Tuesdays or not.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and as always, any and all comments, concerns, or critiques are welcome!


	5. Chapter Five (Nott)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, another chapter of Urban Fantasy Mighty Nein backstory. There's a bit more world building here, and some of it may be weird so I'm sorry about that. Also, this chapter takes place several months after Caleb and Nott meet, and about a week before the campaign starts. I hope you enjoy it!

Nott ducked her head as she slid into the confined shadows behind a row of stairs. Caleb was off a ways down the street, watching and waiting. His coat was still dirty from their most recent time in the woods, and it gave him the look of a beggar. Exactly what they wanted.

The street was decently busy for this time of night. Humans meandered down it despite the low lighting. But they were all cautious, eyes flitting about uselessly in the dark. Nott’s own eyes peered out at them, unseen in the shadows.

A human in expensive clothes appeared down the street, face lit up by a phone held loosely in one hand, a briefcase dangling from the other. Nott looked over at Caleb and saw him nod almost imperceptibly. This was their target.

Caleb began to walk in their direction, timing his gait so that they would meet at the perfect time. His walk became sluggish and slow, making him look like he was drunk. Nott _wished _she felt that drunk.Their target barely noticed him until he was right on him__

__“Hello good *hic* sir,” Caleb said, accented voice slurring as he lurched in the man’s direction. The recoiled reaction was immediate. Caleb didn’t stop. “Could I trouble you fer a bit o’ notes?”_ _

__The man hesitated, hands raising as he tried to block the vagrant. Caleb slumped awkwardly onto his shoulder, hands (falsely) scrabbling to keep a grip on the smooth fabric of his suit. Nott darted forward, quiet as she could._ _

__“Egh! No! I won’t give you any notes! Get off of me!” the stranger said, voice raising some, but not enough to attract much attention to them. He seemed like the type of guy who wouldn’t want anyone to see him being touched by a homeless man. He struggled to push Caleb off of him, but had difficulty as Caleb resisted._ _

__Nott used the time to quickly, and stealthily sneak a finger or two into the man’s back pocket. She only had a second, and the moment her fingers felt leather, she snagged it. Caleb watched as she did, and lurched once more, timing it perfectly as the wallet slid gently from the pocket._ _

__Nott darted off again, to a different set of shadows. She was still facing away when she heard a pained gasp and thump as a body hit the ground. She turned around quickly, finally hidden, to see Caleb on the ground, clutching his stomach._ _

__“Well fuck you too!” he called out to the retreating man, fake slur still tingeing his voice. Nott hesitated, wanting to go to his side while still needing to stay in the shadows. But it was only a moment before Caleb looked around for her. She let him see her and catch her eyes. He gave her a wink and a tiny ghost of a smile before clambering up again._ _

__It wasn’t long before more humans passed down their small stretch of street once more, but Caleb only hovered enough to continue the ruse. He meandered down the street a bit before turning down a dark alleyway that Nott remembered them agreeing on. She turned down her own alley and headed towards their rendezvous._ _

__It wasn’t until they found themselves in the hidden alcove under a forgotten overpass that she felt her worry begin to subside._ _

__“Caleb, are you ok?” she asked as she watched him walk up, body hunched and tired._ _

__“Ja, I am ok. He didn’t hit very hard,” her friend said, settling down on an abandoned milk crate. They had camped here the night before, when they had just arrived in town. It wasn’t much, but it was dry and isolated. And there was a fast food joint a short walk away._ _

__“Okay. Look what I got,” she said excitedly as she pulled the small leather wallet from where she had stashed it away. Caleb smirked at the sight of it._ _

__“At least it wasn’t for nothing. So what is in it?” he asked as he snapped his fingers, summoning Frumpkin to his side. The orange cat wrapped himself nimbly around the wizards arms as he sat, purring loudly._ _

__“Dunno,” Nott said before opening the wallet for the first time. She hissed in excitement. A small wad of gold notes sat neatly in the folds of leather, dotted with a silver or two. It was more then they had gotten in a long time. It was at least enough for some good food and even better, some booze! Her flask was running low after their long day of failed con attempts._ _

__“Ah, that is wunderbar!” Caleb said as he looked into the wallet from his spot. He sagged slightly with relief and a weak smile flitted across his face. “Are you hungry?” he asked then, looking off in the direction of the little fast food joint across the way._ _

__Nott nodded enthusiastically and they stood once more. She handed the wallet over to Caleb, who began to methodically sort the notes as they walked. It didn’t take long before he handed her a small wad of cash, which she pocketed quickly._ _

__“We do also have this, but we must be very careful with it, ja?” Caleb said as he pulled a plastic card from the wallet. “They can track where it is spent, and we won’t have access to it for long.”_ _

__“So what should we do with it?” Nott asked, looking up at the human as they walked. She was always impressed with his knowledge and understanding of how things like this worked. Goblins rarely used plastic, or even bank accounts, so it had all been beyond her until she met him._ _

__“Well, we can probably use it at a general store, to get some sleeping bags or some new clothes or so. If we are quick enough, we can also pull some money out of it. But after that, we’ll need to drop it somewhere. We’ll pay cash for the food and alcohol though,” he said, eyes flitting about as they walked._ _

__Nott nodded, his explanation making plenty of sense. She could feel her mouth salivating at the idea of food. And getting drunk again would be great._ _

__Caleb ordered them something to eat while Nott sat in a back corner, mask firmly in place as she waited. The place was small and dingy enough that the lighting wasn’t too bright for her, and the booth she had found was nicely tucked away in a back corner. She’d be able to eat without being too concerned about her mask not being on._ _

__They enjoyed the cheap meal, focusing on their food for the most part. As they finished, they continued to sit there, the booths more comfortable then the rocky ground under the overpass. It was late enough that the workers ignored them as they set about nightly tasks._ _

__“So, what all should we get at KGS?” Nott asked as she fiddled with her flask. It was getting pretty close to empty, and she could feel the start of anxiety creeping into the pit of her stomach because of it._ _

__“Well, I think sleeping bags would be nice. We don’t always have enough money for motels, though we probably could get one tonight if you wanted, with how much gold he had.”_ _

__“A motel would be nice,” Nott said as she imagined a comfy bed and a T.V. It had been a few nights since they had been able to sleep under a roof. Sleeping outside hadn’t bothered her before, but she quickly discovered that sleeping outside in an urban environment was far harder than when they were out in the woods._ _

__There were a lot more people interested in rifling through their stuff in the city, and there were occasionally guards who would come by and yell at them for sleeping where they were at. Safer places like the nearby overpass were secluded, but were less comfortable being covered in concrete and rocks. It also took far longer to get about town, when their place of rest was so far on the outskirts._ _

__But Nott didn’t mind too much. It kept them safe, being secluded, and she had quickly learned that it was places like this that most humans expected to see goblins. If she was ever seen under the underpass without her mask, most people ignore her. She was where they expected her to be…_ _

__Nott felt a twist in her gut and felt herself reflexively hiding her hands from sight. The green of them left her feeling strangely nauseous. Caleb noticed though. He was so perceptive._ _

__“Why don’t we head out and go find a KGS? I bet we could get some liquor there,” he said, a wry smile on his face. Nott smiled back, pushing her less pleasant thoughts to the back of her mind as they got up and began to walk. She was quite lucky to have found such a wonderful person._ _

__They paid for some bus fair to bring them to a King’s General Store further in to town. It’s familiar logo hovered high above the roads as they approached, and Nott felt a twinge of excitement. KGSs were notoriously easy to steal from, if you were careful._ _

__As they approached, Caleb stopped for a moment and spun some magic. Nott watched as his body cleaned up and his hair turned a deep black. The magic settled on him like a cloak, turning him into an entirely different person. Nott felt a slight hint of unease, even though she _knew _it was him.___ _

____The strange looking man simply smiled at her, and whispered in Caleb’s voice, “This way, their cameras are useless.” Nott nodded along as she took his hand, already feeling better as her excitement began to mount._ _ _ _

____The bright fluorescent lights glared at them from above as they walked through the automatic sliding doors. Nott only caught the occasional glance from other shoppers, and it was probably more from the filth still layered on her clothes as opposed to the tinge of green hidden under dirty bandages. Thankfully, the workers here ignored them completely._ _ _ _

____King’s General Store as a corporation was well known for not giving a shit about it’s employees, which led to them not giving a shit about their job. It’s what made this particular store such a good spot for theft._ _ _ _

____Caleb bee-lined it for the camping equipment, leaving Nott to wander around the surrounding area. She found lots of fun little shiny things, but she was careful to only take what she could actually fit in her pocket. The camera’s above were easy to spot, and easier to avoid, and she ignored the part of her that reminded her that half of them probably didn’t even work. She wasn’t going to risk anything right now. Not with that little plastic card in Caleb’s pocket._ _ _ _

____In the end, they had quite a haul. Caleb bought sleeping bags for them, waterproof camping bags, easily collapsible utensils, some nice warm gloves for the both of them, a pair of boots for Nott, and some travel sized bottles of shampoo and soap. He also purchased a thin glass vial of shimmering red liquid by asking an attendant to open up the special case. A potion, he explained._ _ _ _

____Nott eyed the case, but it’s locks were quite functional and the location wasn’t very private. KGS won this time, but she memorized the layout of the case door and it’s lock, just in case._ _ _ _

____Nott, for her end, had nabbed a shiny set of buttons off of a blouse, a watch, and a few small containers of different chemicals that she could add to her meager alchemy kit. She could only get things like baking soda and salt peter here, but they were something._ _ _ _

____They also grabbed several things of travel appropriate food, and Nott squealed happily as Caleb grabbed a bottle of two of some liquor to add to the cart. She didn’t miss that he only glanced side-longingly at the meager book selection. Nott frowned a bit at that, and determined that she would make time to get him to a bookstore soon, before the card was dropped._ _ _ _

____The employees at the registers didn’t ask any questions as Caleb paid for what they got. The card went through and everything went without a hitch. It was almost too perfect._ _ _ _

____The feeling of unease settled thickly on Nott’s shoulders as they left the store, and it made her jumpy on the bus ride back to their little overpass. Caleb noticed, but didn’t say anything, choosing to instead simply lean over some, not invading her space but still adding his presence to it. It helped, a bit._ _ _ _

____They arrived at the nearest bus stop to their overpass and disembarked. Nott was still a little jumpy, golden eyes flitting back and forth between the shadows. Caleb snapped his fingers, summoning Frumpkin to her shoulders, and the new weight was nice. The feline purred in her ears as they walked, and her nerves slowly began to settle for the night._ _ _ _

____It didn’t stop her from drinking a large chunk of the alcohol that they purchased. The idea of getting a motel now seemed unsafe to her, as she imagined brightly lit parking lots and security cameras pointing every which way. She couldn’t place this feeling that something was off now, and they were less safe than before._ _ _ _

____Caleb agreed to stay under the secluded highway for another night, his eyes piercing as he processed her words and analyzed her face. Nott wasn’t sure what he found there. Even she wasn’t sure why she had suddenly become so anxious._ _ _ _

____But her fears seemed unfounded as the night passed without trouble, the first liquor bottle already empty._ _ _ _

____…………………………………………………………………._ _ _ _

____She was wrong. They were woken up fairly early the next morning as a equally dirty dwarf approached their overpass. He was an older fellow, with a thick gray beard that was matted and tangled. His coat was even dirtier than Caleb’s, and was riddled with holes and patches of mildew._ _ _ _

____Caleb and Nott both turned to the stranger, squaring their shoulders and adopting a stance that told him he should probably leave. Nott’s hands found their way to her small crossbow sitting within easy reach, cocking a bolt slowly but surely. But the dwarf didn’t really heed their nonverbal warnings and walked straight up to what remained of their fire._ _ _ _

____“Can I help you old man?” Caleb asked, eyebrows furrowed. Sometimes other homeless were helpful. Most were not. They didn’t want to risk it today._ _ _ _

____“Ay, I think you can,” the dwarf said with a smile full of rotting teeth. “I guess ya haven’t seen the news yet today?” He grinned at them, waiting. Nott felt that the answer was pretty obvious, but she still shook her head._ _ _ _

____“It seems tha’ some certain red headed hobo managed to rob the Starosta’s favorite assistant. Ya got guards all over the place lookin’ for you,” he said as his grin grew wider, feeling more and more feral as he spoke. Nott glanced over to Caleb, searching his face for any signs of what the human was thinking._ _ _ _

____Nott rarely handled high-dollar targets, for this reason. She didn’t use the cards because she didn’t understand them. She thought uneasily about her anxiety last night and wondered if maybe this was why. But despite it all, she trusted Caleb, and was willing to learn more about these other types of theft._ _ _ _

____They weren’t caught yet, and Caleb seemed more concerned with the hobo in front of him then the threat of guards searching for him. If that’s the case, Nott felt reassured that they probably didn’t have much of a lead on how to find them. But then there was this guy._ _ _ _

____She could just shoot him. It would be pretty easy, and she could see that he kept one eye on her loaded bolt throughout the conversation. She lifted the nose of the crossbow just a bit, not openly aiming at him, but easing into the movement. The dwarf kept her in sight, but didn’t even flinch at the raised weapon._ _ _ _

____“Ah, very well,” Caleb said, eyes still trained intently on the dwarf. “So I will cut to the chase then.” He seemed fairly unconcerned and confident, even beyond the layer of bullshit that Nott could see him putting up for this dwarf. He had a plan, and Nott felt relief for the first time since they left the King’s General Store._ _ _ _

____“If that is the case, they will be looking for me and not you. You can take this. It is still good, for another day, since today is Yulisen and the banks are closed. You could probably do a lot with it before they turn it off, ja?” Caleb held up the piece of plastic as he spoke, and Nott watched the dwarf’s eyes follow it as he did so. They were hungry, and she could tell that the plan would work._ _ _ _

____She didn’t really know how she felt about the card. Goblins only use cash, but they had gotten a large amount of stuff last night and her wallet was no lighter for it. But there was an underlying level of fear that if they kept it, they would get caught. Images of dark figures lit up by computer screens filtered through her mind and in that second, she was completely okay with Caleb giving the plastic money away._ _ _ _

____And he seemed quite content with the idea as well. There was an implied clause to the agreement, but no words were spoken between them and the dwarf from that point. He reached out a hand and Caleb tossed the card to him. He scurried away quickly, with neither Caleb nor Nott turning away as he did so._ _ _ _

____Nott finally slumped over and sat down, lowering the crossbow as she did, the stress of the encounter combining unpleasantly with a hangover and a bad night of rest. Caleb however, started packing up their things._ _ _ _

____“We need to leave town,” he said as he worked. Nott nodded, knowing that that would probably be a thing they would need to do, with the guards out looking for them. She wasn’t upset about it. None of the towns that they stayed in seemed particularly nice to her. She stood up and helped to pack, her mind flitting back to the card._ _ _ _

____“Now that he has it, will they be able to follow us?” she asked, struggling to keep the lingering fear from her voice._ _ _ _

____“They can not follow the card, per say,” Caleb said, words methodical as he worked. “Rather, they can see when and where it is used, but not by who.” Nott felt better at that. She was very lucky that Caleb understood these things so well._ _ _ _

____“And even then, that sort of work probably won’t happen until tomorrow, when the big banks like his open. By then, that dwarf will create an even more confusing trail, hopefully,” he added._ _ _ _

____“What if he tells them about us?” she asked, pack now ready. Caleb finished his own and they started off, walking once again towards the bus stop._ _ _ _

____“It will probably do him no good to do so, since he wants to use the card too. And we will be long gone by then.”_ _ _ _

____Nott nodded again. At least leaving this town didn’t feel as rushed as many of the others. They were getting much better in their methods and cons. They were getting caught less and eating better for it._ _ _ _

____She felt a rush of appreciation once again, for her new traveling companion. Though she also felt a pang of regret, that they couldn’t stop to buy him some books. She made a point in her mind to remember to stop in the next town for some. She had grown quite addicted to seeing the joy on his face when he held a new book._ _ _ _

____It was a strange feeling that she wasn’t really used to yet, but it was very nice. She liked to take care of him, even if he didn’t realize it. It left her with a positive feeling in her heart and a smile tucked away behind her porcelain mask._ _ _ _

____…………………………………………………………………_ _ _ _

____They hopped from bus to bus, zig zagging back and forth just in case there _was _anyone on their trail. It was probably pointless, but neither of them minded. They had enough cash that they could rest easy and eat well as they traveled, and Nott didn’t have to worry about anyone getting too suspicious of her since they didn’t stay in one place long.___ _ _ _

______But they couldn’t keep this up forever. The notes they had gotten off of the suited man wouldn’t last more than a handful of days like this, if they weren’t careful. But the comfort they were feeling right now was hard to give up._ _ _ _ _ _

______So they decided to head to a city. They had skirted the edges of metropolises before, but had mostly stuck to small towns, and the two agreed that it wasn’t doing them any favors. Cities would be more dangerous, but probably far more fruitful._ _ _ _ _ _

______In the end, they decided to travel to Trostenwald, a relatively small city towards the south of the empire. It was large enough that they could probably get some good hits in, but it was also small enough and rural enough that it would be a safer bet than some of the more northern cities. And Caleb seemed quite pleased to be traveling south._ _ _ _ _ _

______As they traveled, the wizard pulled out one of his two spell books and began to study it. Nott couldn’t help but lean over and look at the gibberish written across it. Caleb’s slanted writing curled around strange symbols and even stranger sentences written in an alphabet that Nott couldn’t understand. Occasionally, the pages would shift and the light would hit them at just the right angle to cause a sort of glow to emanate from the ink, catching her eye and sparking an itch._ _ _ _ _ _

______But she wouldn’t steal from Caleb. Not after everything they had been through together. But she did enjoy looking for that glint of strange light._ _ _ _ _ _

______She jumped as Caleb tilted his face to look at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. He normally was so focused when he studied his books, she hadn’t expected him to notice her watching._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Sorry, sorry. I was just looking!” she said quickly, looking down and away. She didn’t flinch away, but it was a close call. It was a constant reminder, of how different her life now was. Caleb merely laughed though, drawing her eyes back to him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Don’t be sorry,” he said before shifting to let her better see the book. “I could explain it to you if you would like.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Nott’s eyes grew wide. “But I can’t read magic things,” she said as she looked closer at the book. She could understand some of what Caleb had written in Common, but so much of the page was covered in that strange script._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I can translate that, and it isn’t too hard to learn. And who knows, maybe if you practice, you could cast your own magic,” the human said as he flipped the pages of the book, bringing them to an early leaf. “This one is fairly easy. It is called Message.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Nott leaned in closer as Caleb began to explain the basics of the spell. It seemed like a pretty useful spell, and it turned out that a lot of the writing on the page was just reminders to Caleb about the limits of the spell, like how far it would work or who all you could talk to with it._ _ _ _ _ _

______But then he started to explain how the magic actually worked. Nott tried to listen and understand, but she found it hard to wrap her head around the concepts that he was trying to tell her about. She began to fidget with her bandages, kicking her feet gently against the seat in front of her._ _ _ _ _ _

______It was just another thing she would be bad at._ _ _ _ _ _

______Why did she even bother trying?_ _ _ _ _ _

______**She’s too dumb for this sort of thing.** _ _ _ _ _ _

______“So does that make sense?” Caleb asked, interrupting her line of thought._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Oh yes, yes of course!” Nott lied immediately. Why bother lying? She wasn’t good at that either._ _ _ _ _ _

______Caleb looked at her now, his eyes boring into her and weeding out the falsehood as if she had held up a sign saying “I LIED”. She felt a sudden rush of fear that he would just give up on her, just like everyone else._ _ _ _ _ _

______She didn’t want that. And that scared her. She thought that she had gotten over being the family disappointment, but somehow, for some reason, the fear of failure bubbled up like a thick sludge deep in her core._ _ _ _ _ _

______She began to stammer some form of excuse when Caleb simply smiled weakly and shook his head. “I am sorry, I probably explained it badly. Let me try again.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______And it all fizzled out. Caleb began to explain the theory again, using smaller words and taking less tangents. Nott was too grateful to question it, and she listened with rapt attention this time. It was still a lot to try to wrap her head around, but Caleb continued to encourage her, and after a short time, she began to ask questions. He answered her patiently, re-explaining things that she still couldn’t understand._ _ _ _ _ _

______And after what seemed like forever, and no time at all, she leaned back, eyes opened wide and her mouth in the shape of an “o”._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Does that make more sense?” Caleb asked, eyes alight._ _ _ _ _ _

______“It actually does!” Nott said, a smile breaking out on her face. She turned and looked at her companion, happiness beaming openly. “Caleb, I understand it! I actually get it!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______The human smiled good naturedly and gave her shoulder a gentle nudge. “Maybe I am not so bad of a teacher after all,” he said._ _ _ _ _ _

______“No Caleb! You are a great teacher!” Nott said, anxieties forgotten completely in a rush to smother his. “It isn’t your fault that I’m such a bad student! You're amazing!” Caleb simply chuckled, but Nott could tell that her words didn’t reach him._ _ _ _ _ _

______And in some twisted sense, Nott couldn’t accept that. She hated that Caleb didn’t see just how great he was. She hated that he didn’t believe her when she told him as much. And she hated how she didn’t know what to do about it._ _ _ _ _ _

______But she would be damned if she didn’t try._ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da. Hey, do you all remember when they implied that it's normally Nott's fault that they have to leave town all the time and move from place to place? I didn't. So yeah, unintentionally, everything is Caleb's fault here, but not really. I hope you enjoyed it! As always, and comments, concerns, or critiques are welcome


	6. Chapter Six (Molly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. Sorry for not posting last week. It's been a pretty crazy past couple of weeks, probably because of holidays. But I promise, it won't become a habit.

Molly smiled warmly as he finished touching up on Yasha’s costume. The tall woman looked at him with some concern in her eyes, but she didn’t complain. They had already discussed the whole thing more than enough.

She doesn’t need to talk at all. She doesn’t even need to look at people. That’s the whole bit!

“You’re going to be great,” Molly said, completely honest, for once. He found great joy in spinning tales and exaggerations, but he also had discovered that sometimes, short and simple worked much better for the burly woman in front of him. 

“So long as I don’t have to talk to anyone,” she muttered as she turned to look at herself fully in the mirror. 

Her look was still fairly similar to what it had been when they had found her, but Molly had taken it and ran. She _was_ about to perform after all. Her gray cargo pants stayed, frayed feet and holes in all. Her boots also stayed, since combat boots went well with the look Molly was going for. He had added another several belts, all black with varying levels of decorative metal adorning them. Her rough gray tank top was replaced with a black t-shirt and a sleeveless leather vest went over that, with fading gray scuffs from where it had been dragged across rocks and concrete. Fingerless gloves accompanied leather bracelets, but the majority of her arms were left bare. Metal studs, zippers, and buckles were scattered across the fairly dark outfit, giving occasional pops of contrast.

Her hair was left to how she always had it, as was her makeup. Molly was on the verge of asking her if she just wanted it tattooed on her, but ignored it in the moment. She was fairly good at applying the smoky shadows quite quickly, so he wasn’t super worried about it. And the blue strip that traveled down from her lip was as perfect as ever.

“Alright, let’s get you in place then,” Molly said as he stepped aside. They wanted her to get in position before anyone arrived.

Yasha nodded before grabbing the massive greatsword that she would be using as a prop. They headed out of the dressing room, ignoring Desmond and the twins as they whistled and cat called her. Desmond merely shook his head with a sad smile before continuing to apply the crazy makeup that he was painting on one of their bodies.

They were performing inside a large warehouse this time, and guests would all be entering through one main hallway that led to another set of large metal double doors. This made deciding a location easy. 

Yasha placed herself right at the center of the entryway, resting the sword point down in front of her.

“Just like this?” she asked, looking at Molly as she did so. She was standing tall, but her stance was too relaxed.

“Hm… maybe stand evenly on both feet? Solid like a pillar,” he suggested, his tail curling behind him as he watched her, thinking.

She adjusted, and he tweaked, until finally, they had the perfect pose.

“Think you can hold that all night?” he asked, a grin on his face. He had a feeling he knew the answer.

“Yeah if I need to,” she said, shrugging her shoulders lightly as she did.

“Good. Then I’ll go fetch Gustav and see how he likes it,” Molly said with excitement. He really liked this new woman. Fortunately, he didn’t have to travel far, and Yasha was still in the exact pose he left her in when the two of them returned.

Her feet were spaced shoulder width apart, and her hands draped across the guard of the massive sword. Her head was bowed, very slightly, but her bright eyes looked up at them from beneath darkened brows.

She was quite the site to behold as she stood vigil, which was exactly what they wanted.

“Good, good,” Gustav said as he moved around her in a half circle, seeing how she looked from all the angles that their guests might see her in. “Nice and intimidating.”

The effect was even amplified as the lights were dimmed slightly, and Molly was really happy with the whole thing. How ironic would it be if Yasha found her place in the performance before he did? He wasn’t worried though.

They hung out for a short while more, before Molly was called away. They wanted Yasha to be the first one anyone saw, after paying for entry. It was partially her idea, as a final deterrent for any assholes trying to sneak in and cause trouble. And it was a good idea. Bo was intimidating, but Yasha was even more.

It was the grungy biker look.

Guests started to arrive right as a storm rolled in from the west, and Molly felt a wave of gratitude that they were performing indoors this time around. But that didn’t dissuade anyone from coming.

They had a huge turnout, and everyone was kept busy in the process of getting payments and checking for weapons. Yasha stood just a bit further inside, and Molly watched as people reacted to the tall and stoic woman.

And boy did they react. The woman stood stock still, and many mistook her for a statue or a mannequin at first. That was in fact the goal. Molly had trouble keeping himself from laughing too loud when someone tried to lean against her to only jump back when they realized she was, in fact, alive. Once or twice, someone would gently poke her, though they would pull back immediately as her bright eyes snapped to theirs.

That was the only thing that moved. They had discussed line of sight and eye contact, and everyone agreed that it should be fine if Yasha looked around as opposed to staring at a set point, like many other living statues. Yasha felt much better about that decision as well, and from the looks of it, it was very effective.

Many people flocked around her, watching and chatting as they filtered through the doors leading into the main performance area. It was the ultimate moment of truth. Molly could see a flicker of hesitation in the woman’s bright eyes, but it was subtle. No one else seemed to notice, but it still gave him cause to worry. He wanted to make absolutely certain that she was actually okay with this sort of performance, now that she had experienced it for the first time.

Molly kept tabs on the tall woman as they continued to work, taking payments and the odd weapon or two for holding. She held her pose well and kept quite calm despite the torrent of people who passed her, or occasionally poked her. Several people even took selfies with her. She looked down and away for those. 

Overall, it was a good bit. As the entry way cleared out and their patrons made their way to various seats inside, Molly swung by and stood casually next to their newest member.

“So how was it?” he whispered, careful not to be too obvious. If she was okay with the performance, she would remain out here during the main show, so that any who left saw her in the same spot.

“It wasn’t too bad,” she muttered as the her eyes turned to meet his. “I’m okay.” Molly couldn’t help but smile. He was glad that it worked out for her as well as it had for everyone else.

“That’s good to hear. I’m going to head inside, but I’ll come out and check on you throughout the performance, just in case,” he said. There was an almost imperceptible nod from the woman beside him. He nodded back and turned to head inside, still quite pleased.

But gods above forbid someone _not_ ruin a good thing.

It was only about half way through the main show when Molly made his way back outside to check on Yasha, for the second time now. The first check up had gone well, and Molly was confident this one would too. 

He wandered out through some side doors that they had blocked off for collective members only. It meant that he was entering the main entryway from the side.

Then suddenly, he heard some sniggering, and chatter right as he came in. He was tucked away into some shadows, so he moved quietly as he approached, watching.

Two somewhat younger humans stood in front of Yasha, pacing like she was some form of dangerous beast.

“Touch her, I dare you,” one of them said. He was tall, but gangly, and he held himself like he was ready to dart away at a moments notice.

His friend was a little burlier, though shorter as well. He looked far more confident, though he was bowing up still as if the silent and still woman was threatening him.

On second thought, maybe she was. Molly caught sight of Yasha’s bright eyes as they followed the two boys, and he felt a shiver down his own spine. There was a barely contained threat in those eyes as they moved behind the otherwise passive face.

It was pretty impressive actually. Molly wouldn’t have expected Yasha to stay in stance if someone were being an ass, but not only had she done so, she had managed to wordlessly threaten them at the same time.

Though she wasn’t nearly as relaxed as she first appeared. Molly could practically see her thrumming with a subtle tenseness now that he looked. She was ready to move, if necessary.

This girl was good.

But still, that didn’t mean that Molly wasn’t going to step in. He’d seen enough to know that the boys were causing at least some form of trouble. And they weren’t so young that they wouldn’t be chastised for it.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Molly said as he stepped forward from the shadows of the side hallway.

Both boys jumped, nearly two feet into the air. Molly couldn’t help but chuckle, though he made it cold still, just in case.

“She only has to stay still so long as she isn’t bothered,” Molly continued, grinning as he did so. He spoke casually enough, but he also let his actions and expressions leak in some wickedness. He was fine with them being slightly scared. From the looks of it, they might deserve it just a wee bit.

“Oh yeah?” the short one asked, still bowing up. It seemed like he was the type to respond to fear in a really stupid way. “So what? I can take her.”

Molly actually laughed at that. Perhaps he was wrong to assume Yasha could destroy both of them if she wanted to. He hadn’t actually seen Yasha fight, beyond punching a guy once or twice. But those couple of punches had looked _really_ good. 

“I wouldn’t advise it,” Molly said, a chuckle still audible in his words. Perhaps it was the chuckle, but his words didn’t seem to convince the boy.

Molly didn’t think he’d actually try anything, so he wasn’t prepared for the boy to suddenly turn and deck Yasha right in the face.

“Shit,” Molly said as he quickly drew the decorative swords at his hips. But he had barely completed the motion before the boy flew backwards towards the doors, Yasha’s own fist hanging in the air where his face had once been.

“Oh fuck!” the other boy said as he stumbled to grab his friend. He wasn’t quite out cold on the ground, but he sure was close. Molly could hear stunned mumbling as the second boy dragged him away. The two collective members ignored them as they hurriedly left the building.

“Shit Yasha, I’m sorry,” Molly said, concern taking over his face and replacing the false bravado he had been displaying just before.

“Don’t be,” she replied with a shrug. There was no visible damage to her face as she turned to face him, nor did she seem particularly perturbed. “He had a wussy punch.”

Molly sighed in relief, but something kept him on edge. Yasha seemed so calm, yet there was an underlying level of tension still in her form. Like a barely contained energy that looked like it might burst out at any provocation.

“Come on, let’s go get you a drink from the back,” he said, careful not to touch her unless she could see the motion before hand. He had learned _that_ lesson the hard way, but it was still something he often had to remind himself to do. And he definitely didn’t want to push that particular button right now.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” she replied, letting him take her arm to lead him to the back.

It didn’t take any time at all for Yasha to cool off completely and return to her usual relaxed self, but Molly still felt responsible for what had happened, and made extra sure that she was fully taken care of.

He set her up with a good view of Bo’s performance from the far back, with a bottle or two of some of their better beer, of course. They were settled on a forgotten loft tucked away into one of the corners of the warehouse. Lighting was dim enough that they wouldn’t draw any attention, but the raised elevation made it very easy for them to watch the show, as well as watch for troublemakers.

“It wasn’t… _too_ bad I suppose,” Yasha said suddenly, her voice soft and barely audible over the din of the performance below.

“What was? The punch?” Molly asked, confused.

“No, I mean the living statue thing,” she replied, her eyes still trained on the burly half-orc who strutted around the performance space.

“Ah,” Molly said, before waiting. It felt like there was a “but” coming up. But Yasha was still silent. Contemplative.

There was a slight lull in the music and din of the show and Molly could suddenly hear a quiet roll of thunder and pattering of rain on the metal roof above. It faded quickly, but with each fall in the volume of the show, it would show up again. It was nice.

Yasha tilted her head up and looked up, as if she could see through the shitty insulation and crisscrossing bars that held up the roof of the shitty warehouse that they were performing in.

“I probably shouldn’t do it again though,” she muttered.

“I can understand that,” Molly said as he nodded his head. She hadn’t seemed very comfortable with it when people got handsy. And their patrons today were positively tame. He didn’t want to imagine what might happen when they got more rowdy or drunk attendees.

“But don’t worry,” he said with a grin as he turned to her. She must have seen the movement out of the corner of her eyes because she turned slightly so she could look at him as well.

“We’ll find something for you to do,” the tiefling said, a confident grin on his face. “Even if it’s just punching people.”

“I am really good at punching people,” she replied with a small smile.

The rest of the performance went without a hitch. Gustav was sad to hear that Yasha wasn’t interested in doing that sort of performance again, but he was impressed to hear how well she had handled the troublemakers.

All in all, the night ended up passing very quietly, despite the downpour still happening outside. It didn’t take long for everyone to ease the tension that Molly still felt settling around his bones. He laughed and joked with everyone just as they always did, and the strange feeling of unease filtered out into nothing as the night went on.

He breathed deeply as he settled down into the somewhat stiff hotel bed, the pattering of rain lulling him into a gentle sleep. It had been a good day, all things considered. They had had an impressive turnout, with a surprisingly fitting location, and only one minor issue that had been immediately handled. He was content.

_Things were going wrong. It was raining, and thundering. Two figures ran ahead of him._

_No. With him. They all were running, together, to safety. Hopefully._

_His heartbeat was thumping in his chest. Adrenaline was pushing him forward, despite his exhaustion._

_He turned to check on the others behind him, to make sure they were keeping up._

_The shadow of the ziggurat loomed over them, outlined by a sudden flash of lightning._

_Ottis was behind him. He fell to the ground, the mud slick under his feet._

_Cree turned to help him up, and they continued to run. He turned to run again as well, careful not to fall to the same hazard that his ally had._

_A roar echoed through the gloom behind them, guttural and deep._

_He had fucked up._

Molly jumped up suddenly, breathing heavy as he woke. His eyes were wide as he looked around, but nothing in their dark hotel room read as dangerous.

The feelings of fear and guilt lingered as he sat there, panting slightly in the dark. But they began to fade quickly. They were replaced with confusion, as he tried to remember what had happened in the dream. What had scared him so much that he woke up.

There had been rain. And people. People he had known. He tried to remember their faces, but he was exhausted, despite the rapid beating of his heart. He could feel his eyelids already growing heavy.

But he didn’t want to fall back asleep and the dream still be there. Waiting for him.

Eventually, his body calmed down, the dream mostly forgotten now. Some nights, when he woke up like this, he regretted forgetting these strange dreams. Others, he was thankful.

Tonight, he was thankful.

………………………………………………………

The next morning dawned bright but wet. The rain had passed but had left the ground a muddy mess. It left Molly feeling somewhat uneasy, though he couldn’t quite place why. He was careful not to slip in it.

That anxiousness followed him throughout their morning routine, hovering over him like a shroud. He couldn’t place it’s source, and it was a very vague feeling, but it was persistent.

Molly fought to ignore it. There wasn’t any actual reason to be worried, so he chose not to be. It made things a bit easier as he prepared for the day.

The collective all met in the lobby of the motel, feasting on cheap muffins and toast that supposedly constituted their free breakfast. They wouldn’t be staying long, and needed to get everyone together to plan out their next route. 

“Has anyone seen Yasha?” Bo asked, his voice a deep rumble that broke through the interspersed chatter of the morning.

“Eeh, she was already up and off somewhere when we woke up,” Mona said as she tucked a few other plastic wrapped pastries in her pockets.

“We assumed she was in the van. She does that sometimes,” Yuli added.

“I can go check,” Molly offered. The uneasy feeling began to grow again. Their rooms were close to the lobby, so their vehicles were too. It didn’t take long to check them for the tall woman, but he was thorough all the same. 

She wasn’t there, and nor were her things.

The others joined him in the search shortly after he reported his lack of findings, but it became quickly obvious that she was gone. 

Molly felt a hole punch through his chest. He felt a wave of guilt as he thought about the show the night before. About her tension and anxiety. Why had they suggested she perform?

“Alright now, stop that, whatever it is you’re doing,” Orna said as she rested a light but warm hand on his shoulder. Molly only responded with a nod as he tried to get control of himself. Panic would _not_ help right now.

They all continued to search for a while more before it was decided that she must have taken her things and left. She hadn’t acted any different yesterday, and she had repeatedly reassured everyone that she wasn’t at all bothered by the kids fucking with her at the show.

But no one could figure it out. Molly was having a harder and harder time keeping himself calm. They had been planning on leaving town that day. What if she didn’t return? What if she came back and they weren’t there?

“How about this,” Gustav said, his face serious but not open enough to express his inner thoughts on the matter. “We’ll wait a few days, spend some time performing around the city and such. And hopefully, she returns soon and we’ll figure out what happened. If not, well…”

“We’ll figure something out,” Orna said, a spark in her eyes. Molly couldn’t help but agree. They had only known the quiet woman for a couple of weeks, but she had quickly become like family to them. The idea of leaving her behind just felt wrong. 

The rest of the day passed in a strained sort of awkwardness. Gustav and Desmond helped look for temporary work in the area, as well as locations where they could set up and perform. They kept to their work, and virtually disappeared into the room.

The girls decided now was a good time to go and buy some groceries for an extended stay, and took one of the vehicles to do so. Bo went about working on some small pieces for their next performance while Kyrle walked Toya down to a local park.

Without much else to do, Molly followed the silent duo down to the park. Kyrle was a good companion when you needed silence. He never expected much from you. So the two of them settled down at a nearby table while Toya shyly moved about the playground.

As they sat, Molly absentmindedly pulled out his deck and began to shuffle them, his mind on the newest member of the carnival, after himself of course.

He shuffled mindlessly, his eyes unfocused as he stared off into the distant overcast sky. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, thinking about Yasha, and then the other members of the collective. He thought of this strange family that he had grown to love, and how suddenly, that was at risk.

Surely she wouldn’t completely ghost on them. Surely she realized how she had become a member of their strange little family.

And would they really not care if she were gone forever? Was a handful of weeks not enough to create a meaningful relationship? Surely it was, since they had spent every waking moment with each other? But would it really surprise him? The collective wasn’t quite as loyal as they had once claimed to be. Molly could see that now, in how Orna would act without deliberation, and how the twins often acted like they wanted to split. He could see it when Bo and Gustav butted heads, and in Desmond’s melancholy.

But then again, who was he to define family? He had never had one before this one. Not one that he remembered. Maybe this is how families are. Maybe they argue, and contradict each other, and leave in the middle of the night.

Maybe that’s what family really was.

And that hurt.

Then, suddenly, he felt his hands slow down, and his line of thought dwindled.

He looked down with a sigh, and felt a random urge to draw a card. So he did.

The Storm.

Artistically rendered clouds covered the card with shadows while bright bolts of lightning broke up the darks and cracked the brown earth that covered the bottom of the image. A deep blue border contained the muted grays and blacks of the image and he couldn’t help but think of that blue stripe that always accompanied Yasha’s palette of grays.

The card meant renewal through hardship. It meant difficult times ahead that would lead to healing and growth. It meant that no matter how bad things were now, you would persist, and come out stronger for it in the end.

He felt a slight twinge in the back of his head as he looked at this card, his fingers shaking ever so gently as he held it. It was a strange feeling that was really hard to place. If he had to put it into words, it was a feeling of slight disbelief. It was a feeling of exasperation at himself for falling for his own bullshit, accompanied quite comfortably with a small amount of certainty in that bullshit.

He couldn’t help but scoff quietly as he flipped the card back over and began to shuffle again. But he also couldn’t deny that he felt a bit better as well.

……………………………………………………………………

It was four days later, and Molly was certain that Gustav would push the collective to move on soon. They couldn’t keep waiting forever.

The various members of the collective had mixed feelings on the matter. Some of them, like Molly, felt like they should stay and wait. Others, felt like they had waited long enough.

But in the end, it didn’t matter.

Yasha’s return was strangely anti-climactic. They woke up one morning, and all met in the hotel lobby once more. And there was Yasha, eating crappy pastries as if nothing had happened.

There was a sudden explosion of sound and movement as everyone rushed to her at once. Molly could immediately see that it made her uncomfortable. But he was so grateful that she was there again that it was hard for him to not ease his way closer to her.

“I’m sorry guys,” she said as she looked down and away from them. “I really am sorry, it’s just that… sometimes there are things I need to take care of.”

“That’s all well and good, but you need to give us some warning ahead of time,” Orna said sternly.

“I know, it’s just that… I don’t always know. I don’t always know when I’m going to have to go,” Yasha explained, her speech slow and deliberate. She always got like this when they delved too deep, and Molly understood why. She didn’t need to explain it yet, if she wasn’t comfortable doing so.

“Well, then at the very least, we should get you a cellphone or something, so you can let us know when you’ll be back,” Gustav said with a wry smile.

“No, no you don’t have to do that,” Yasha insisted, like she always did when the collective offered to provide her with something she needed.

“Yes, actually, yes we do,” Gustav replied with another wry grin.

“If not for you, then at least for our sake,” Desmond added quietly. Eventually Yasha agreed.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that Molly got a chance to speak with the tall woman. He was careful not to push her too much, since it had been such a tumultuous morning, but he still needed to speak with her.

To know that it wasn’t him. That it wasn’t his fault.

“Hey Yasha,” he began, hesitating as he realized that he wasn’t even sure how to broach the subject.

“Hey Molly,” Yasha said, her bright eyes turning to look at him.

“I just wanted to ask you if everything is okay between us,” he said, the words starting to tumble out. It was something he was still learning about himself. He didn’t often feel this anxious, but when he did, he found it quite difficult to speak normally.

“I know you said that you had things that you needed to do, but I still felt really bad about what happened at the performance with those kids. I just wanted to say sorry for pushing you into that act and-”

“-Molly,” Yasha interrupted, pulling his attention back to her. “I didn’t leave because of that.”

Molly felt his mouth snap shut. He could tell it was time to listen now, and that he would simply have to be patient as the stoic woman decided on her words.

"There are… things, that I need to do sometimes. They have nothing to do with you. I will admit, sometimes people do get a little… much for me. But I promise you,” she said, looking into his eyes now. The pause here wasn’t a pause of deliberation, but rather one that denoted the seriousness of what she was about to say. Molly looked deep into those bright eyes.

“I promise you, I will always come back.”

And he believed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! I hope you all enjoyed it! As always, any comments, critiques, or concerns are welcome!


	7. Chapter Seven (Nott)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going out of order now guys. Sorry. So here is a Nott and Caleb chapter, because that one was easier to write than Beau's perspective. I hope you enjoy it!

It wasn’t until much later that Nott realized that someone seemed to be paying a little too close attention to them. A human in a tattered hat sat a couple of rows behind them and on the other side of the isle, his head bowed as they rode along. He was careful not to be too obvious, but Nott had a pretty good sense for when someone was spying on her. 

She tucked her ears back into her hood once more, slowly and methodically so as to not draw attention to the motion. Caleb noticed though, due to proximity. He began to glance around as well, cautiously but casually. He didn’t seem to notice the man.

Perhaps she was being paranoid. But at the same time, maybe she wasn’t?! She kept an eye on the man as he tapped on his cell phone, eyes occasionally glancing towards their seats. 

He was definitely shifty. Nott looked over at Caleb, letting the shadows of her hood hide the quick pointed glances that she made to try to alert him. Caleb was smart, and he understood. They lapsed into an uneasy silence.

They were almost to Trostenwald, and the bus was surrounded by fields upon fields of grain. The sun was already starting to set, and night would be upon them shortly. They would just have to deal with the guy for now. 

Caleb shifted a bit, pulling out a sheet or two of loose paper and a pen. Of course he would be prepared. Nott watched as he gentle scribbled a note on the paper before sliding it towards her, keeping his body as still as he could while he did so. 

_Do we know how long he was listening?_

Nott thought about it and tried to come up with an answer, but she just wasn’t certain.

_I don’t know_ , she wrote back, being just as careful as Caleb as she wrote and slid the note back.

_We will just have to wait and see if he also gets off in Trostenwald_

Nott nodded gently. There was no point in starting anything just yet, but she was already getting a sick feeling from the man. She couldn’t wait for them to arrive in the City.

………………………………………………………………….

They arrived in Trostenwald about a several hours later. The remainder of the ride had been quiet as the sun set and night took over. The man a few rows back never spoke to them, though his eyes flitted regularly to them. It made Nott queasy. 

The bus pulled to a stop near the center of town, and they unloaded quickly, their meager belongings tucked neatly away into a couple of duffle bags. Nott’s crossbow was packed away in one as well, and she felt her fingers itching for it as her eyes darted around for the mysterious man. 

He was hovering, and Nott felt herself getting more and more agitated with the human. He was currently looking at a map of the town that was situated at the bus stop in such a way that he could read it and keep them in sight at the same time. 

Caleb only spared a single searching glance for him before turning and walking down one of the main thoroughfares. They had passed several cheap looking hotels, as well as a nice diner or two, and it seemed as though he was heading for one of those. Though Nott didn’t feel too comfortable asking him right now. Not when someone could be listening. 

She could hear an echo of footsteps behind them on the barren sidewalk, only barely audible due to the sound of traffic on the road next to them. She reached out and took Caleb’s hand, squeezing gently. He glanced down at her and she motioned gently to the space behind him. She wasn’t one hundred percent certain that he understood her, but she was pretty certain.

She saw his face scrunch up a bit as he thought for a moment, before he snapped his fingers. The orange cat that Nott expected to see didn’t appear immediately next to them, but Caleb’s eyes took on a soft ethereal glow, and his gait faltered slightly as they walked. Nott kept his hand in hers, eyes now looking forward to make sure that nothing would get in his way as they walked. 

They continued like this for a short while before Caleb’s footsteps returned to normal, the blue haze that covered his eyes fading away. He didn’t look down to her, though rather ahead, searching for something. 

Then, they turned and walked down a small side street, the narrow road in obvious disuse. They followed it for a short while, the echoing footsteps of their pursuer still with them. Nott was about to ask Caleb where he intended on going, but was interrupted as a voice called out from behind them.

“I know what you’re doing. Why don’t you stop and turn around and face me,” the human behind them called, his voice deep and brassy. Caleb slowed down to a stop, Nott moving with him. He sighed, but then drew his face up into a look of confusion as he turned to face the man.

“Excuse me?” he asked, the false confusion hiding a layer of stress that only Nott could see. 

“Don’t play dumb,” the man said as he approached. He stood with an air of casual indifference, hands tucked into his pockets, but there was an underlying layer of tension in his movements. The placement of his hands pulled the corners of a thick coat back and Nott could see some sort of handle tucked away behind him. A weapon, probably. 

“I do not understand,” Caleb said, doubling down. He had told her once before that consistency and persistence were the key to a good lie. Keep it up, even if you were called out. She could see him putting it into practice here.

The human didn’t seem particularly convinced. He huffed slightly and crossed his arms, placing himself directly in the center of the narrow street.

“I’ve saw you cast a bit of magic back there. Mind showing me your papers?” he asked, the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips. Caleb’s brows furrowed slightly. He didn’t seem to have expected this.

“Are you a guard?” he asked, his hand squeezing Nott’s as he did. He was getting anxious. Very anxious. 

Nott wasn’t sure if Caleb actually had papers proving his certification to use magic. Actually… now that she thought about it, she wasn’t even certain that he was certified. She had just assumed that he was, since he knew so much about it. But his hesitation now was making her wonder.

“Not quite,” the human said before drawing out a card of plastic, flashing it to Caleb before tucking it away again. He had been too far away for them to actually read anything on it, but Caleb seemed to know what it was.

“Ah. So you are a bounty hunter,” he said, his grip tightening on Nott’s hand. 

“An M.R.A., thank you very much,” he said with a slight sneer, annoyance flashing visibly across his face. There was a moment were the two humans simply stared at each other before Caleb raised his hands suddenly in a show and annoyed defeat. 

He casually began to dig in his pockets, digging through multiple pockets as if he was trying to find something. Nott knew it was a lie. Caleb knew where everything he owned was. He was stalling. She couldn’t help but let her hand drift to where a small short sword was tucked away in one of her deep pockets. There was only so much stalling that Caleb could do. 

“Hey now, no moving kid,” the man said, his attention suddenly snapping to Nott. She froze were she was, wanting desperately to turn away and slink into the shadows. She watched as the man froze, his eyes on her and searching under the shadows of her hood. She could feel her heartbeat growing louder and louder, and she couldn’t help herself but turn her face away. 

Caleb had stopped digging in his pockets, his hands conspicuously ending their wandering trail in his component pouch. His eyes were locked on the strangers, but it didn’t seem to matter anymore. 

“Tch, it’s bad enough that you were teaching it magic, but it’s even worse knowing what it is,” the man said with a visible sneer as he drew the weapon he had hidden in his coat. It was some form of long metal stick, with a thick black handle and strange prongs on the end. 

“ _Sohn einer Hündin_ …,” Caleb muttered, his voice exasperated as his fingers dug into his component pouch. The stranger saw, and didn’t give the wizard a chance to draw whatever he was looking for. 

The man darted forward, extending the weapon in his hand quickly as he did so. There was a crackle of electricity as the pronged end collided with Caleb’s stomach. The wizard immediately jerked, limbs held stiffly as his body shook with the jolt from the weapon. As the metal rod withdrew, Caleb simply fell to his knees, his body curling into itself in shock. 

“Caleb no!” Nott yelled as she drew her own weapon. She slashed out at the man who now stood right next to her, cutting through layers of clothes to bite into flesh. It wasn’t a deep wound, but she could see the blood smeared on her blade and knew she hit her mark.

“Crap,” the man said as he lurched away from her. He kicked back at her, landing a blow squarely to her chest and sending her sliding backwards. She could feel the sharp pain shift to a blooming ache, but she stumbled back to her feet. The fight wasn’t done yet. The man lifted the electrified weapon, his eyes full of contempt when Caleb stiffly stretched out his shaking hands, connecting his thumbs and sending a wave of fire at the stranger. 

The fire bloomed wide and enveloped their foe quickly. It spread in a roaring wave, threatening Nott’s space but not entering it. She could feel the warmth of it on her face, and she felt a ray of hope in her heart.

But as the fire faded, the hunter pushed through, hurt but still moving. Nott took the moment to lash out again, her blade biting deep into the man’s leg. But despite the blood flowing through his burning clothes, the man simply sneered at them.

Nott’s confidence faltered slightly. The fire Caleb had just sent at the man was wider and more ferocious than anything she had ever seen him cast before, and she had already drawn his blood twice now, but he seemed unfazed. She was beginning to feel her fear take over.

The hunter tutted at them with a patronizing look before pulling a strange handful of some sort of black goop from a pocket in his coat. Nott only barely registered what it was before he launched forward again, smacking the black covered hand across Caleb’s face. The wizard’s head snapped back with the force of the hit, but the man simply followed it, smearing the strange substance across the other human’s mouth.

Caleb struggled against him and eventually just shoved the man away from him, his face now covered with the strange material. Light glimmered off the surface of the black material, and Nott realized that it had hardened almost immediately. It sealed Caleb’s mouth completely. 

Nott felt a sudden rage in her that started to overshadow the growing fear that had threatened to overtake her just seconds ago. She slid to the side, behind the man who was still thoroughly preoccupied with Caleb. 

Even hidden by the long coat, the plain of the man’s back was open to her. Flashes of bare and bloodied flesh surfaced in her mind as she zoned in on where to hit. She knew what places would hurt the most, and which ones would bleed the best. She remembered in that moment where to strike to do the most damage, and she plunged the blade in deep right there. 

The man arched back as her shortsword stabbed through his coat and deep into his back, his cry of pain echoing down the dark street. She withdrew her blade quickly, waiting for him to inevitably turn around and face her, now that she had pretty much demanded his attention. But he didn’t.

With a frustrated grunt, he swung the pronged weapon in a backhanded sweep. It collided with Caleb’s face with a sickening crunch, sending the wizard flying to the ground with the force of the hit. Nott watched, barely containing a scream of anger and concern, and waited for her friend to get back up, but he didn’t.

She had to jump back as the hunter turned now to face her, his first quarry now unconscious. There was feral anger in his eyes as he advanced, towering over her as his weapon crackled with energy at his side. 

Nott glanced back over to Caleb, still waiting desperately for him to move, but he didn’t, and the rage she felt early only grew. It overpowered the fear and the anxiety and the doubts she was feeling. Some small part of her wondered if she was about to die. The majority of her didn’t care. 

She darted to the side, lashing out with her sword again as she moved. She was faster than him, but she also knew that if he hit her even once, it would be over. The heavy weapon swung downward towards her and she jumped back, barely avoiding it’s stunning strike. 

She circled back the way she came from before, and she could see the tiny opening where he followed her feint. She crouched down, looking up at the looming figure, before leaping forward and up, under the sweeping weapon and deep into his guarded center. She slashed out at his unprotected neck and felt the spray of warm blood hit her face. 

She pushed off his chest, trying to gain as much distance between them as she could. But he simply fell back, a strangled gurgling sound crawling out of his mouth. His body struggled, trying desperately to cling to life. But it was useless. 

The scene stilled, and Nott just stood there, breathing heavily for a moment as she registered everything that had just happened. Then, she turned and darted over to her friend, concern taking over where fear and rage once were. 

Caleb laid there, unmoving on the ground. Nott turned him over in her lap, and hissed as she saw the scrapes and blood covering his face. The prongs of the hunter’s weapon had dug deep into skin and bone and left her friends face covered in deep, bloody grooves. His breathing was shallow, but still there, but there was blood everywhere and Nott could tell he was fading, and fast.

The vial!

The thought popped into her head and she scrambled to find where he had put it. It was in one of his pockets, right? Why did he have so many pockets?! Nott didn’t even realize her fingers were shaking until they finally touched the smooth glass she was searching for. 

She was about to pop the cap off when she saw the black mask that still spread across his lower face. Shit… Shit, how do you get that off?

She nearly dropped the potion vial as she began to touch the hard edges of the strange material, trying to find a week point. It felt cool to the touch, and hard like plastic. It faded seamlessly to skin where it ended, and she was starting to panic as she realized that it didn’t want to peel away. Then, she felt a bump in it’s smooth surface.

Where the prongs from the shocking weapon had hit her friend’s face, the black mask was also damaged. Bits of it were raised, though they were slippery with crimson blood. Nott took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, before she slipped a single long nail under the rivet in the mask and started to peel it away.

The material gave way, but it pulled at the pale skin underneath it. Caleb’s eyebrows twitched and a look of pain found it’s way to his face, though he didn’t wake up. Nott hesitated for a moment, but the panic came back in a wave. She closed her eyes and ripped the mask away. 

Most of it came off, all in one motion. She could see bits of blood welling up from where she had ripped it away, but his mouth was free and she didn’t stop to think twice. She popped the cap off the potion vial and slide the glass lid to her friend’s lips. She lifted his head with some difficulty, being careful not to drop any of the precious elixir. 

The red liquid was somewhat sluggish as it poured from the vial and into his mouth, but she could see the effects almost immediately. The cuts and scrapes across his face seemed to almost knit themselves back together while the bruising that was already starting to turn purple began to fade. 

All of this happened right as bright blue eyes snapped open and her wizard friend took a deep gasping breath. His body jerked up weakly, but not out of her grasp and there was a moment where his eyes did not focus on her, and instead darted around with a look of fear. 

“It’s okay, Caleb. I got you,” she whispered, finally feeling relief spread through her. He was alive. He was awake. She hadn’t been too late. 

“Oh _sheisse_ ,” he muttered as he finally looked at her, eyes blown wide with adrenaline. “What happened?”

“Oh, well, uh…” Nott suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment. Would he be mad at her? Shit, she didn’t know? She found herself shifting her body slightly to hide the view of the body behind her, but Caleb realized and he looked beyond her before she could.

“Oh, oh good,” he mutter before letting his head drop again and taking a deep breath. Oh… well that works.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” she muttered as she tugged at his arm, trying to urge him to get up. She didn’t like how much noise they had made. Fortunately, he agreed. 

The trudged their way out of the dingy alley, a handful more gold notes in their pocket, among other things they had pulled from the other human’s body. Caleb looked like he had been ran over by a truck, but at the very least, they were able to wipe away most of the blood. Caleb was able to remove the rest of the black stuck to his face with some difficulty and a bit of swearing. By the time they settled on a place called the Nestled Nook Inn, he looked presentable enough that he could go and pay for a room and to order some food to be delivered up.

It had been a long day, and the both of them were exhausted. By the time food finally arrived, Nott’s concern had withered to a more manageable state. 

“So what was up with that guy?” she asked between mouthfuls, her appetite surprisingly diminished from the stress of what they had survived.

“He was an M.R.A., a Mage Retrieval Agent. Normally, they are sent after renegade wizards who have fled from the empire, though they are also responsible for ensuring that no one is using magic who isn’t certified to do so,” Caleb muttered before taking another bite of food. 

“Are you certified?” Nott asked now. She hadn’t even thought to have asked before. Goblins rarely get certification to perform magic, but they also rarely bothered with leaving their communities, so those who did learn casting most often just kept it secret. 

Caleb didn’t look at her as he finished chewing, slowly, as if he were avoiding the question. 

“No,” he finally said.

“I don’t really care either way,” Nott replied, trying to ease any concerns her friend might have. She saw the corner of his lip twitch into a weak smile, and she felt that she had succeeded.

“The empire might though. We may need to look into getting some documents forged. And we will need to be careful. I doubt this guy had time to report us, but that doesn’t mean this won’t happen again,” he said as he finally looked at her. He looked exhausted. She simply nodded and let them continue to eat in silence. It was only then that she noticed the the faint glow of dawn starting to peak through drawn curtains. Morning had arrived.

Shortly after finishing their food, Caleb fell back into bed with a groan, Frumpkin appearing with a weak snap and curling up into a ball in the crook of his arm. Nott felt herself smile slightly as he drifted off to sleep, safe finally. She felt a rush of fondness for the scruffy human, and she found that for the first time, she wasn’t concerned by it. 

She was about to drift away to find something to do when she heard a whispered voice from the bed, heavy with exhaustion and right on the verge of sleep. 

“Thank you Nott, for saving my life,” Caleb said, quietly. Nott hesitated, trying to figure out what to say in response. Does she say you’re welcome? That sounds weird. What about thank you? No that does’t make any sense. She floundered for a bit, suddenly unsure of what he might be expecting after that unexpected display of gratitude that she didn’t really understand because why would he thank her?

By the time she decided to just wing it and say anything in response, she realized he had fully fallen asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly. She felt herself deflate slightly with a sigh of relief. Maybe not saying anything was okay sometimes. 

She watched him for a moment, in calm silence as he rested. She felt that fondness again, and she smiled to herself at her luck. 

This human was a good one, and he was definitely worth her faith in him. He was worth the concern she often felt for him, and the danger she had put herself in to save him. He may be a little squishy in a fight, and she could tell he had his own demons deep inside, but he was a good person, and he was strong too. He was really strong.

Maybe one day he’d even be strong enough to fix her. That was a thing they can do with magic, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And ta-da. For those who are curious, I'm actually considering creating a work that details a lot of the worldbuilding that I'm using for this au, but I'm not certain if I will or not yet. It would give more details on the little things that featured so far in these chapters as well as bits that will come up later, and probably general notes about the Empire and how it operates. If that's a thing you would like to read, drop a comment below and let me know :)
> 
> Also, here are some translations, which were almost entirely from google. Sorry, I'm doing what I can. Fortunately, there are sooo many resources for translating curse words, which is most of what he'll be saying.   
> Sohn einer Hündin - Son of a Bitch  
> Scheisse - Shit
> 
> As always, feel free to leave and questions, comments, or critiques for me!


	8. Chapter Eight (Beau)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooph. This chapter was a tough one for me. I can't even really explain why it was so difficult for me to get out, but it was. And I'm not super proud of it either, though that may be just because it made me mad with how difficult it was being. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Also, yes, I know I know, it's technically Wednesday, but hey, I haven't gone to bed yet from Tuesday, so in my book, that means its Tuesday. Is that a terrible excuse for procrastinating and posting this so late? Yes. Will I do better in the future? I sure hope so

Beau rolled her shoulders some as they walked back into the Baumbach’s brewery, a hint of irritation still lingering in the back of her head. She really didn’t like this place, especially now that she had spoken with the employees more.

It reminded her far to much of the family home. 

As their little group walked through the tall doors into the brewery, she noticed Vann and Jamesan tensed up. She turned to see what they had seen, and saw a tall but overweight man in a very expensive suit.

His dark hair was losing purchase on the round top of his head, but he seemed to be trying to make up for it with expensive clothes and an even more expensive watch. She had seen that model before, and she knew it’s worth. It was one of those expensive brands were seventy percent of the price was all in the name. It was a statement piece who's primary purpose was to yell out "I'm rich!" to everyone who saw it.

This must be Baumbach. 

The man turned to look at their group and gave a visible sneer. Beau sneered back, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were instead on the two people who had picked her up off the highway. She couldn’t deny that they stood out, and maybe he was looking at them because of that, but she also had a feeling that the sneer had some less pleasant roots. 

Asshole.

The brewery owner turned back and began to speak more rapidly to the manager who had been over them. Beau couldn’t help but slide closer and strain her ears, trying to hear whatever she could of the conversation. 

She could only hear bits and pieces, as the two men continued to slowly moved away from them. But she heard enough. Snipets like “another halfer? We’ve already met our numbers”, and “damned handleheads” gave her more than enough reason to dislike the man. 

Piece of shit.

Her eavesdropping ended though when Baumbach turned away from them, and slid into the management office that overlooked the warehouse. The windows were covered in a reflective tint that meant that the managers, and now Baumbach, could watch them as they worked, while they were not given the same courtesy. Stuff like that always irked Beau when she thought about it as an employee. Though she’d be lying if she claimed to have not utilized the privacy it provides in the past. 

So not only was he a corrupt piece of shit, but he was also a racist asshole to boot. She hadn’t cared about racism as much before, though she had always been against it, but she really liked these two people she had met on the highway. They were good people… It made his comments sting as she thought of them. They didn’t deserve that. 

And the more she thought about it, the more angry she felt. It was that same cold and cynical anger that she felt when she thought about her dad’s business partners, and about her old targets. 

They were all the same. And this guy was one of them.

Beau kept her eyes on the windows above as she worked, knowing that Baumbach was on the other side, watching them. He didn’t stay for long though, before she saw his tall form leave the office. 

Without even thinking much about it, she slid into an easy crouch and began to follow quietly behind him. It wasn’t difficult to track him, since he walked about and shouted at everyone like he owned the place. But she didn’t have to follow him for long.

She watched as he left the building, and got into a very expensive car. Hm… Probably off for an hour or two long lunch. 

“There you are,” a voice said behind her, making her jump. Jester slid over, her own body crouched as she moved silently through the halls. It was kind of unexpected, coming from the loud and boisterous tiefling. But Beau wasn’t going to complain.

“Shh. I was following the asshole,” she whispered.

“Figures,” Fjord said, his own voice quiet as he rounded the corner. Unlike the two girls, he wasn’t crouching, though he did lean against the wall like he belonged there. He kept an eye out though as he spoke.

“So where did he go?” Jester asked, her voice showing a little hint of mischievousness. Neither she nor Fjord seemed interested in ratting her out, and Jester almost looked like she’d want in. Beau was starting to like these two more and more. 

“He just left for what we can assume to be a very long lunch,” Beau said, letting the implication lay heavy on her words. Jester’s eyes lit up, and Beau knew immediately that she was on board. Fjord simply sighed and shrugged. He seemed less on board, but not against them? She could work with that. 

It didn’t take much effort for them to find his office. A large name plate was bolted on to the dark and imposing door. It seemed exactly like the sort of thing Demedan Baumbauch would want. 

Beau looked around for cameras and found none. Either Baumbauch was very trusting, or he had something to hide. That being said, the door was also unlocked. Maybe he was just very trusting. 

Jester waited quietly behind her as she entered the room slowly, though the tiefling did practically vibrate with excitement. 

The inside of the office was crisp and clean, with needlessly expensive furniture and a massive window that overlooked the Ustaloch. An older model of an pricey computer brand sat on the wide desk, with various decor settled around it. A fairly chunky magnet shaped like a beer barrel was settled on the corner of his desk, a small variety of paper clips and other metal office supplies stuck to the top. There was no camera in here either.

As the two girls entered the room, Beau turned and saw Fjord glance around before looking down at his own hands. Right before her eyes, his skin began to change, and then his height and hair. Even his bone structure shifted, and in a matter of a couple of seconds, Fjord looked like someone else entirely. He had taken on the guise of an older human, with graying red hair and sun beaten skin. He had even changed his clothing, from the sensible layers of black, gray, and reds, to a smart business casual outfit of blues and tans. 

“Well shit,” Beau said as she quirked an eyebrow at her now changed companion. He looked at her with bright blue eyes and smirked slightly, an almost disbelieving chuckle escaping his lips. 

“Oh wow Fjord! That’s so good! You look completely different!” Jester said excitedly, her voice raising in volume, much to Beau’s dismay. But she quieted as Fjord raised his hands, signalling the excitable girl to whisper.

“Uh, thank you. Yeah, I think I like this one,” he muttered as he looked down at his now pinkish hands. “But you girls do what you came here to do,” he said as he looked up at them. “I’ll keep watch.” And with that, he moved back out into the hallway, leaning against the wall and looking nonchalant. 

Jester immediately went to work on a nearby filing cabinet, moving files around and turning some inside out. Beau was worried at first, but the moment she looked down at the cabinets that the other girl was rummaging in, she realized that Baumbauch was only barely organized as a business owner. He probably wouldn’t notice exactly what had happened, though it would cause regular frustration. 

It was a good idea.

On her end, she began to inspect the walls and desk, looking for some form of hidden compartment. Rich people love to hide things. She just needed to find where it was. It took her a good few minutes to search, as delicately as she could, but she found no secret compartments. She scowled a little bit, feeling slightly cheated. But she didn’t stay annoyed for long.

She turned to the computer, and found it guarded by a password. The actual hardware itself however wasn’t locked down at all, and she easily opened the case to look at the dusty inside. She tapped her fingers on the desk a bit as she thought, when an idea hit her. 

She tried to grab the beer barrel magnet, but found it fastened quite strongly to the desk. There must be some metal under it keeping it in place. She tugged at it again, but it didn’t budge. 

“Hey Fjord,” she called out in a whisper. “Mind giving me a hand?”

The human Fjord had turned in to turned around the corner and looked in at what she was doing. He shrugged and came in, blue eyes glancing about as he passed the threshold of the office door. The issue with the barrel shape was that there wasn’t really any good handhold. But Fjord looked strong enough to do it.

He wrapped his hands around the barrel and gave it a slight tug, being careful to not mess with the office supplies stuck to it’s top. It slid to one side just a bit, but didn’t lift off the desk. He tugged again, and it slid another centimeter or so, but it still stuck fast.

“Hell, that’s a strong magnet,” he muttered as his eyebrows furrowed slightly in frustration.

“Here,” Jester said as she approached. Fjord stepped back, though Beau didn’t really expect Jester to be able to do much more than him. But she surprised them both.

The fairly small girl wrapped her fingers around the barrel shape and leaned against the desk, creating a good point of leverage that Beau hadn’t thought about. There was a second of silence before the magnet came off with a pop, held easily in her hands.

“There you go,” she said with a smile as she handed the magnet to a stunned Beau. Fjord simply nodded with respect and Beau couldn’t help but do the same. But she couldn’t dwell on it, because she had work to do. 

It wasn’t hard to locate the hard drive, but she did have to be careful as she moved the magnet back and forth along its side. If the magnet tried to pull itself towards some of the metal within the case, it would be difficult for her to pull it back out without making obvious signs of damage. She did this several times, just to be extra sure that the magnet did it’s work. Because when you apply a strong enough magnet to a hard drive, all of that internal data gets scrambled.

Baumbach didn’t seem too tech savvy, so it would probably be a bit before he could figure out exactly what went wrong. Or at least, that was the goal anyway. 

Beau very carefully replaced the magnet on it’s spot on the desk and closed the computer case. It was time to get out of here. Jester finished up hiding all the good pens in weird locations, and the three of them split, closing the door behind them.

It didn’t take much effort to slid back into the warehouse unseen, Fjord back as his normal half-orc self, and they continued on with their work as if nothing had happened. Jester hummed happily though, as if sowing that mayhem had been the best part of her day. But Beau couldn’t really blame her. It made her feel better too.

They worked for another couple of hours, laughing and chatting amongst themselves as they did so. Before long, it was time to collect payment and leave. 

The manager who had let them in that morning had left much earlier that day, but the one who remained had been the one who Baumbach had talked to. He was quite tight lipped as he handed each of them an envelope and hurried them out the door. He ignored Fjord’s attempt to engage in conversation as well, evading their queries efficiently. 

As the three of them stood outside of the brewery, they shrugged their shoulders and headed towards the car. Beau opened her envelope and pulled out three silver notes. She sneered at them for a second, irritation building again as she pulled out the letter that accompanied them. Fjord read his own as well.

“Not invited back is an interesting way of putting it,” Fjord muttered as he tucked the letter away. 

“They were assholes anyway,” Beau said in response.

“But hey, at least we got Demadouche back some,” Jester said with a smile. Beau liked that name.

“Yeah, we did. And hey, we got at least some money from it,” Beau said with her own wry smile. 

They all clambered back into Jester’s car and headed out, taking the scenic route through the Lochward as they did. Beau listened and Jester and Fjord talked about the ocean that they had grown up with, and tried to imagine the indefinite blue. 

She could see the other side of the Ustaloch, though it was very far away. She couldn’t really imagine something so much bigger than this. Then, sudden movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Fjord looked over as well as a large form crashed into a house far off in the distance.

“The fuck was that?” Fjord asked suddenly, pulling Jester’s attention. But the view was immediately obscured by nearby buildings as the car continued to move.

“What? What happened?” Jester asked, taking her foot off the gas and looking around frantically. 

“Quick! Jester, turn right up here!” Beau said as she looked out the window as well, trying to keep a bead on where they saw the destruction. 

Jester listened, and they were quickly speeding through a middle class residential area. Beau continued to direct, and in almost no time, they found the building that had been seen.

It was a somewhat smaller house, with a nice yard with a large tree sitting infront. A gaping hole was visible in the roof, where support timbers had been crushed as if by some massive fist. Shingles and sheetrock covered the grassy yard. 

Jester slammed on the breaks and her car came to a screeching halt, and all three of them darted out. Beau only had a few seconds to take in the view of the house when Fjord spoke up.

“Look there,” he said, and pointed down the street. An older man was hobbling towards them, scared looking and desperate. He seemed to be trying to call out to them, but was too out of breath.

“Woah there buddy,” Beau said to him as he approached. He was dressed like a fisherman, and had the wind worn skin to accompany it. His eyes were wide as he hunched over, breathing hard and still shaking.

“What happened here?” Jester asked as the man began to stammer.

“It was… it was one of them snakes! It took my little girl! Please! Please, we need to do something!” he said, his eyes wide as he scrambled to grab Fjord’s arm to pull him towards the Ustaloch.

“Well shit, get in!” Jester said, instead pulling them all back to her car. With a little bit of tugging, the older fisherman followed them in to the car and Jester was zooming off once more. 

“There it is! It’s moving slow!” the old man said as he pointed forward. Off in the distance, there was a massive shape moving slowly towards the water’s edge. Beau felt her jaw drop as she fully registered the size of the snake before them. 

It must have been some forty feet long, and was as wide around as a tire. Dark green and yellow markings covered it as a wide, flat head turned back to look at them as they got closer. Curled in a coil of scales closer towards the tail was a small child, held by what looked to be her leg. She was screaming and crying out for help. 

Well, at least she was alive. 

They didn’t have any time to waste. The car had barely stopped before Beau was out and rushing towards the beast. It was still pretty far away, but she had always been really fast. She didn’t have her quarterstaff, and she sorely missed it in those first few moments as she darted forward and jumped, passing over the wailing child.

She let the momentum of her jump carry her straight into an attack, and without much thought, she brought down her elbow right on the snake’s back. She heard a sickening crack and an angry hiss.

A bright flash of pinkish energy suddenly slammed into the snake’s face, lighting it up like holiday lights as Jester whooped happily from somewhere behind her. But Beau didn’t have time to celebrate with her as the snake turned to face her, rearing up to strike. She only had a few seconds to dodge to the side, tumbling away over the damp earth.

She could hear Fjord yelling somewhere behind her about the child, but she was too preoccupied with the snapping maw of the snake in front of her to bother. She ducked and moved in close, deciding that fuck it, why not go all out?

She lashed out with punch after punch and the occasional kick, feeling bones splinter under each hit as she moved to dodge the snakes own strikes. She was in her own little world, ducking and weaving and striking back, when suddenly, she heard a strangled cry somewhere behind her.

She moved sideways in an arc, keeping an eye on her enemy while also positioning herself so that she could also see the others. And she was glad that she had. 

The snake was longer than she had anticipated. She hadn’t expected it to be attacking her and also Jester at the same time, but apparently it had. The blue tiefling was wrapped up in coils of scale bound muscles. They continued to wrap, pulling her closer and closer to the head of the snake as the coils squeezed. 

Beau could see Jester gasp in pain as she tried desperately to breath. Her face was turning into a shade of purple as her body was steadily being crushed. Oh yeah… Constrictor snakes. Fuck.

Fjord was on the far side of the snake, the sword that she had seen before held in his hand. He slashed out at the coiling scales, but the blade slid off the thick hide. Beau was about to call out when she suddenly felt searing pain as a strike landed.

Backwards facing teeth pierced the flesh and muscle of her arm, sending searing pain up as she tried to pull away. Okay, bad idea. With each tug, she felt the teeth dig deep like hooks, pulling at her skin and drawing blood out to bead up at each tooth. She turned to the massive snake head that was pulling at her arm and punched it straight in the eye. The massive golden orb was larger than her fist, and she felt her knuckles push deep into sensitive flesh. It was pretty gross, but also satisfying. 

The snake thrashed as it ripped it’s mouth opened, the curved, backwards facing teeth pulling through her skin and leaving gaping scars. Blood began to pour down her arm, but Beau didn’t relent. 

With a twist and a snapping kick, her leg collided with the blinded side of the face. The momentum of the kick sent the snake reeling to one side, and seemed to distract it enough as Fjord’s blade slid deep into it’s body further down, near where it was wrapped around Jester. 

The coils of muscles released, and Jester’s body slumped to the ground. Beau couldn’t help but stop for a moment and stare as she waited for the girl to move. But she didn’t. 

An arching blast of dark blue energy shot past her and collided with the beast, drawing her back into the fray, Fjord’s yelling a distant roar in her ears. She turned back to face the creature, though she saw it wasn’t as intent to fight her anymore. It was trying to move away, it’s injured body not working as well as it normally would. Good thing too, or she possibly wouldn’t be able to catch up.

She darted forward, following it and firing punch after punch. The blinded eye gave her a good angle of attack, and she felt a fire burning in her belly, telling her the fight was almost won. It was a good feeling. 

With one final kick, she drove the head of the thing straight into the ground. It crumpled suddenly, it’s long body tensing and twisting as it finally died. 

Stillness filled the area around them, but the roaring in her ears continued. Then, sudden movement broke out to one side of her as Fjord suddenly turned and darted to Jester’s prone body on the ground. 

Beau moved towards them in a sort of haze, her body heaving as she took deep breaths, but her eyes not blinking as she looked at the girl on the ground. 

She had seen lots of unconscious and beaten bodies before. There had been plenty of cases where she had been the cause. But this… this was different. And she couldn’t place why.

Fjord lifted Jester up, cradling her torso and head in one arm as he dug in his pockets with the other. The change in angle helped show Beau that she was breathing at least. But the breaths were shallow, and her body still hadn’t decompressed fully from the crushing force that had squeezed her.

Fjord found what he was looking for right as Beau approached. It was a small glass vile, with a easy open lid. A potion. Fjord flipped the lid off with his thumb and revealed a long and somewhat narrow opening. She watched as he tipped the vial up, letting the slightly sluggish liquid pour past the blue lips. 

It seemed like forever passed before the dark lashes fluttered and Jester’s bright violet eyes opened. 

Beau took another deep breath, and felt all of the tension she didn’t even realize she was holding slowly slide right off her shoulders. Fjord sighed as well, slumping over in a similar way.

“Oh, hey guys,” Jester said with a weak laugh, a small smile already playing on her lips. “I guess we won.”

“Yeah, it seems so,” Fjord said as he glanced over at the massive body of the snake they had just defeated. A quiet sobbing then reached their ears, and all three of them looked over to see the man they had brought hugging his child tightly to his chest. They were both crying silently into each others shoulders, but you could see the relief over both of them.

Jester struggled to get up, with Fjord’s assistance, and the three of them moved over to join them. But as they got closer, Beau’s eyes fell on the little girl's legs, and she felt herself let out a sudden ooph of breath. 

The leg that the snake had used to drag the girl away was dark and bruising, and it looked to be broken pretty badly. Beau glanced around, trying to figure out what she could do to help when Jester knelt next to them.

“Hey hey, it’s okay,” she whispered in a gentle, sing songy voice as she reached out and gently touched the little form. As she spoke, both daughter and father stopped what they were doing to look at her. Tears were streaming down both of their cheeks, though there was also a smile on the fisherman’s weathered face.

Beau watched as a gentle glow began to emit from Jester’s hands. The girl seemed confused, but became scarred as the tiefling reached out to touch her leg. But before she could even try to pull away, the contact was made, and the gentle glowing light spread quickly from Jester to the child. 

The bruising began to fade, from a large purple mass to a deep pink, and the strange, crushed look popped out as the leg suddenly swelled, then settled, back to a healthy size and shape. The leg was healed. 

The fisherman quickly began to babble his thanks, while the small child simply curled up into her dad’s chest, seeming to be rather shocked and confused. Beau could see why. It had been a long day.

The rest of the day passed in a sort of haze. They dropped off the two civilians at their damaged home, with the fisherman confirming that he would deal with the body of the snake, though not before Beau removed one of the massive fangs that had pierced her arm. Then, they returned to the Nestled Nook for a good meal and some relaxation. 

Jester didn’t seem particularly bothered by their encounter, though she did seem somewhat quieter. She still joked and laughed with them about the whole thing though. Fjord acted just as he had yesterday, though he did seem to be rather attentive. 

For the first few hours, Beau felt somewhat subdued herself. Jester helped her clean and wrap up the wound on her arm, and all the while, she couldn’t help but replay the fight in her head. She thought she had done pretty well, but she could have done better.

She should have been more aware of her surroundings, really. Her mentors’ words filtered into her head and she realized that she had in fact completely forgotten to survey her surroundings throughout the fight. That was a problem. 

She hadn’t been a fan of the Cobalt Soul, but she couldn’t deny that they knew what they were talking about when it came to fighting. They had proved that several times over. But some lessons just hadn’t stuck.

Before now, she had been fine with that. She had never felt like she had needed their lessons before. But she couldn’t help but feel an inkling in the back of her head that said that she could have done better. She could have done more. 

She shook her head slightly, a single thought coalescing. She would next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S FINALLY DONE AND I CAN MOVE ON TO THE CHAPTERS THAT I ACTUALLY WANT TO WRITE! That being said, there's actually only one chapter left, before this fic will be completed. From that point, I will be taking a short break from posting while I get a couple of chapters written for the next installment of Luminance! I'm excited, and I hope you are too.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this Urban Fantasy AU! 
> 
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
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